Kirby Dach is joining a Western Canadian team in this blockbuster trade rumor

The Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames have kept close tabs on Kirby Dach this month, and the Canadiens forward suddenly has Alberta's full attention.

Frank Seravalli reported it Friday, with sources singling out those two clubs in particular. Two teams, same province, same target.

The key phrase is his status. What that status actually means wasn't spelled out, and that gap is exactly where the speculation lives.

And then Saturday night added a wrinkle. Montreal played Ottawa twice, once at home and once on the road.

The home group won 4-2 with Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky dressed. Slafkovsky piled up three points, including the winner.

Dach was in Ottawa instead, skating alongside names like Alex Belzile, Sasha Pastujov and Hunter McKown. That group lost 4-3.

Still, the usage was loud. No Montreal forward in that road game logged more than his 21:21, and he finished with one shot, no points and an even rating.

Oilers stay perfect while the Flames stumble into the Dach chase

So which part should rival scouts trust: the assignment, or the ice time?

Edmonton is rolling. The Oilers beat Calgary 4-1 on Saturday night for their fourth straight win, and Connor McDavid drove it with a goal, an assist and six shots.

Mike Babcock, hired in June, gets Vancouver at home Tuesday. His bench already includes a Colton Dach, who skated 12:41 against the Flames without a shot.

The cap sheet is the problem. McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard combine for $37 million, so Stan Bowman would have to get creative to add anything meaningful.

Calgary's night looked nothing like that. Dustin Wolf stopped 24 of 28 shots, and the only Flames goal came from Matthew Coronato on the power play.

The Flames have dropped two straight and sit 1-2-1 over their last four. Craig Conroy and Ryan Huska need more from their forward group than they got Saturday.

Jonathan Huberdeau's $10.5 million hit is still on the books. That shrinks Conroy's wiggle room in any bidding war with his provincial rival.

Here's where I land. Montreal would be foolish to move Dach now, before he's played a single regular-season shift this fall.

Selling him today is like listing your house the week before the kitchen reno wraps up. You never get full price for a job half done.

Kent Hughes holds the leverage here. Two interested clubs in the same province means he can let them bid against each other, if he wants to sell at all.

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Montreal opens Tuesday in Toronto. Nobody knows yet whether Dach draws top six minutes or another depth assignment, and that answer could set his price.

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