Kent Hughes might be cooking up a Canadiens trade before opening night, and Kirby Dach's name is the first one everybody reaches for.
"It really feels sounds like Ray, Kent Hughes has something up his sleeve," Darren Dreger said on the Ray & Dregs Podcast.
"I'm not guaranteeing that Hughes is going to make a trade in the next couple days leading up to game 1 of the regular season," he added.
"I am saying, though, it's possible that he's trying."
The Canadiens open Tuesday in Toronto, and opening rosters are due today.
They also reportedly have to cut three of David Reinbacher, Adam Engström, Owen Beck and Florian Xhekaj.
So what exactly is Hughes hiding?
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Major Canadiens trade may be brewing ahead of opening night
The center remains the obvious candidate. Frank Seravalli reported the Oilers and Flames have kept close tabs on him, with the Canadiens holding firm on their price.
Seravalli also wrote that Montreal once viewed Dach as a chip to chase Kirill Marchenko.
The preseason didn't help his value. Stéphane Waite noted on RDS that he went without a point in three games.
Beaudoin has also floated goalie Jacob Fowler as a possible cut unless Samuel Montembeault is traded first.
Montembeault stopped all 14 shots he faced in Saturday's 4-2 win over Ottawa, sharing the net with Fowler.
Hughes should make a move. Carrying a roster crunch and a player whose future Seravalli called "tenuous for months" into the season is how a strong camp turns into a messy October.
It's like a poker player who keeps glancing at his chips. Nobody knows his hand, but everybody at the table can tell he's about to bet.
Dach carries a $3,600,000 cap hit and becomes an unrestricted free agent after this season.
The Canadiens went 4-1-0 this preseason, so Martin St-Louis isn't exactly begging for a shakeup.
Dreger isn't promising anything. But when an insider says a GM has something up his sleeve two days before opening night, the rest of the league starts checking its phone.
Should Kent Hughes trade Kirby Dach before the Canadiens open in Toronto?
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