Can Canadiens' Kirby Dach Fill Vacant Second-Line Center Role?

The biggest question mark for Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes entering the offseason, and really since being eliminated from the playoffs, is who will be their second line center entering the 2025-2026 season?

Ivan Demidov and Patrik Laine need an option to center them with more offensive upside than Jake Evans and Alex Newhook, and a little more grit wouldn't hurt either. The current chatter has been impossible to ignore, and with the NHL draft on Friday, the chatter is sure to get louder before it quiets down.

But could the Canadiens already have an in-house option, one that Hughes spent a significant trade package to acquire, who would be practical to consider?

Kirby Dach is the perfect feel-good story in the making, and after another frustrating injury setback cost him some essential development time, he could be a nice dark-horse option.

A motivated Dach, realizing his potential and developing into what the Chicago Blackhawks envisioned when they drafted him third overall in 2019, and the same thing that Hughes felt he was getting when he traded for Dach three years ago on Saturday.

Dach is big and physical, and he plays with an edge, a few of the elements that Hughes would be looking for in a prospective second-line center acquisition. 2025-2026 also happens to be the final year of his current deal, so he has all the motivation in the world to perform.

It's a big undertaking to ask Dach to do that, but he does have the distinction of being a former third overall selection, which comes with its expectations and pressure.

There are obvious areas in need of improvement for Dach, but it's his natural gifts that make him a great option to consider as a center for Laine and Demidov, and when Michael Hage arrives, he can move down to the third line, giving the Canadiens tremendous depth down the middle.

It wasn't that long ago that Dach scored 38 points in 58 games, and so long as he is healthy and ready for training camp, the 6-foot-4, 216-pound centre from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. His game is all about skating, and he carves up defenses who underestimate him with fantastic puck skills and great vision that he uses to execute acrobatic passes.

Even if he doesn't end up being the Canadiens center for game one of the 2025-26 season, he still has a pretty good case for a shot at the vacant post.