The Montreal Canadiens have re-signed star forward Kirby Dach to a one-year contract worth $3.6 million. A veteran NHL journalist has addressed the reason behind Dach accepting a smaller deal than the initial contract being offered to him.

The Canadiens have acquired Dach yet again, with Dach accepting the $3.6 million contract after filing for arbitration. Journalist Marco D'Amico has broken down the reasons behind Dach's acceptance of the new offer despite having filed for arbitration earlier.

"The reason why Kirby Dach took less than his qualifying offer is because this is a one-way deal," D'Amico wrote in a post on X. "His qualifying offer was a two-way deal due to having played less than 60 games last season and 180 games over the last three seasons."

Dach was initially offered a two-way deal worth $ 4 million. A two-way deal is when a player gets paid an NHL-level amount, but will make a smaller amount if they get sent down to lower leagues like the AHL and ECHL.

Although Dach filed for arbitration, the hearing was scheduled for July 30, with the $4 million deal expiring on July 15. Then Dach received the now-accepted offer, prompting Dach to accept it.

The contract, which the general manager of the Canadiens, Kent Hughes, put together, saved $ 400,000 while also making Dach an unrestricted free agent at the end of his contract, giving him the choice to sign for free with any team.

Dach, till now, has not been the forward the Canadiens hoped for when they signed him.

Kirby Dach's Career Has Not Tipped Off In The NHL

It looks like Dach still has some untapped potential, even after being in the NHL for seven seasons now. The Canadiens acquired Dach from the Chicago Blackhawks on July 7, 2022, with a base salary of $2.5 million, and also defenseman Alexander Romanov and a third-round pick.

But the forward hasn't quite lived up to the mark. Having been with the Canadiens for four seasons, Dach has played only 154 games for the Canadiens in four years, facing multiple lower-body, upper-body, and knee injuries throughout the span of his stint. For context, the Canadiens played a total of 328 games in these four seasons.

He has scored a total of 32 goals and 77 points, while giving 45 assists in these four seasons, according to Hockey-Reference. He played only 37 regular-season games last season, due to a broken foot and lower-body and upper-body injuries, scoring only eight goals, 15 points, and giving seven assists.

Now that Dach has another year to regain his confidence before he becomes an unrestricted free agent next year, he would hope to work on his fitness and be vigilant for any injuries that may occur.

The 2026-27 NHL season will commence on September 29, 2026.

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Written by

Dhruv Singh

Edited by

Kaamna Dwivedi