Several teams offered the Canadiens a second-round pick for Kirby Dach in June, according to Frank Seravalli, but Montreal wanted immediate help.
Kent Hughes held firm, and Dach is still wearing the bleu-blanc-rouge four games into the season.
The 25-year-old has a single assist so far, along with a -2 rating.
He logged 7:42 against Nashville on Thursday without a shot on goal, skating on the fourth line.
Hughes should have taken the pick. A fourth-line role on a $3,600,000 cap hit is a tough way to justify holding out for more.
It's like turning down a fair offer on your car because you wanted a truck in return. Meanwhile, the car sits in the driveway losing value.
The counterargument is real, though. Ivan Demidov is on IR until at least Oct 31, and Montreal can't afford to thin out its forward group right now.
“Several teams reportedly offered a second-round pick for Dach in June, but the Canadiens were looking for immediate help for their lineup.”
- Frank Seravalli
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Canadiens reportedly rejected multiple second-round picks for Kirby Dach
According to RinkyReport, Edmonton and Calgary are both keeping close tabs on Dach while Montreal holds its price.
The Flames reportedly circled back to Hughes recently, and it's not hard to see why.
Calgary is winless through four games after Thursday's 7-3 loss to Colorado. The Flames have scored just 6 goals all season.
Craig Conroy needs offense in a hurry, and Ryan Huska's lineup needs somebody, anybody, to finish plays.
Edmonton, sitting at 3-0-1, would be shopping from a much more comfortable spot.
Montreal is 1-2-1 and winless in three straight, with Martin St-Louis using Dach alongside Jake Evans and Florian Xhekaj.
So what exactly is Montreal protecting here?
The Canadiens also lost Samuel Montembeault for 10 to 14 days today, so Hughes has more than one problem landing on his desk at once.
Detroit visits Saturday, and every shift Dach gets is another audition for somebody, whether Montreal admits it or not.
The Oilers visit Montreal on Dec. 14, and the Flames come to town on Jan. 23.
Either date could reveal who stayed interested. By then, the price Hughes held out for might look very different, for better or worse.
Should Kent Hughes have taken a second-round pick for Kirby Dach?
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