The general manager of the Montreal Canadiens, Kent Hughes, was surprised. The Canadians have handed out defender Alexander Romanov and selection 98 to the New York Islanders for the 13th selection. They then sent selection 13 and 66 to Chicago for the Kirby Dach Center. All teams have announced the exchanges.
This is an absolute agreement of three teams. The Blackhawks, who already acquired a first-round player before today, are adding a second pick from the top fifteen in exchange for Dach, the third overall pick of 2019. They are also adding No. 66 pick as part of the deal. For Chicago, this is another move by Kyle Davidson in his quest to add more long-term future assets. Dach was a promising prospect, but a mix of injuries and inferior performance is what has led to this trade. The Blackhawks, who entered today without a first-round election, have now amassed a small election reserve in a very short time.
For the Islanders, GM Lou Lamoriello adds a young defender who plays the kind of very physical and hard game that the Islanders covet. Romanov, 22, was a second-round draft pick in the 2018 draft and already has 133 NHL games to his name. His offensive advantage is still up for debate, but he has played an increasingly important role in Montreal and should step in to defend the Islanders and play immediately. There were defenses that were available in thirteenth place overall, but Lamoriello and the Islanders seemed to prefer a more prepared option for the NHL with that selection.
In Dach, the Canadians add a player who just a few years ago was ranked third. Dach is a great center who starred in the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades, scoring 72 points in 62 games in his final season there. Dach has struggled in the NHL, perhaps a sign that he should have spent more time developing in Saskatoon before making the transition to professional gaming. Dach has 59 points in 152 games and it could be that a change of scenery is exactly what he needs to get his career back on track. It’s a major risk for Canadians as they are spending a selection of the top fifteen on a player who has so far struggled to make a difference at the NHL level. That said, if Dach’s assessment of Canadians is correct, they could be adding the type of big center of the top six that most GMs covet and are unlikely to be available in selection 13.