Pierre McGuire thinks the Canadiens are putting Kirby Dach in the shop window. Last night's ice sheet makes that theory tough to wave away.
Speaking with Tony Marinaro on The Sick Podcast, McGuire was asked about Dach landing on the second line. His read was blunt.
"I think they are trying to expose Kirby at the highest level so that people might have some interest in him," McGuire said.
Translation? The 25-year-old forward might be auditioning for 31 other front offices while wearing a Canadiens sweater. And Kent Hughes is the one holding the clipboard.
Here's the problem with the showcase theory. Against Carolina on Tuesday, the supposed second-line forward logged 9:38.
Only Florian Xhekaj played less among Montreal forwards in the 6-4 loss. Dach finished without a shot on goal and went minus-1.
Kirby Dach trade chatter grows as Canadiens drop two straight
You don't sell a car by leaving it parked in the garage. If Montreal wants buyers interested, a fourth-line workload is a strange way to market the product.
Nick Suzuki skated 21:49 in that game. Juraj Slafkovsky got 19:43.
Even Josh Anderson saw more of the ice. So did Alexandre Texier, who chipped in two assists on a night when the depth group mostly chased.
Season-wise, Dach has one assist through three games and a -2 rating. At a $3,600,000 cap hit, pro scouts will want a lot more than that on tape.
So which is it? A showcase, or Martin St-Louis simply not liking what he sees yet?
Moving him now would be selling low, plain and simple. Three games is no sample to price a forward on, and any GM calling Hughes this week knows it.
The bigger issue sits in the Canadiens' own end. Montreal has allowed 14 goals in three games and sits seventh in the Atlantic.
Taylor Hall scored twice for the Hurricanes, winner included. Jake Evans went minus-3 on the same night, and Jakub Dobes stopped 28 of 33.
Nashville comes to town Thursday night. The Canadiens are still hunting for their first home win.
If the minutes climb against the Predators, McGuire looks sharp. If they shrink again, the word showcase is going to be a hard sell in that locker room.
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