The Canadiens have 17 days to avoid arbitration with Kirby Dach

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
The Canadiens have 17 days to avoid arbitration with Kirby Dach
Credit: Matt Garies/NHLI via Getty Images

We have more details regarding Kirby Dach's potential arbitration hearing.

The Canadiens player has been given a date to appear before an arbitrator to determine his salary. Of course, this is only if he doesn't reach an agreement with the Canadiens by then, which is a possibility.

According to PuckPedia, the Canadiens forward could go to arbitration on July 30.

It's worth noting that the 14 NHL players (it was 15, but Xavier Bourgault and the Sens recently reached an agreement) in this situation will be eligible for arbitration from July 20 through August 1.

This means that Dach will be among the last to go—if he goes, of course.

Would it be preferable for the Canadiens and the player to reach an agreement within the next 17 days, so they don't have to go before an arbitrator?

That's always better.

After all, even if it doesn't feel like Dach's future is in Montreal, it's never a good idea for a player to get torn apart in front of an arbitrator just to save money on his salary cap hit. That's not exactly a 2026-style approach.

It's also worth noting that if Kent Hughes ever wants to trade his forward, other teams know exactly where they stand.


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But realistically, let's just say I'd be very surprised if Dach were traded without a contract in hand. I don't think any team would want to acquire him in a trade only to have him go to arbitration a few days later.

So the pressure is on Kent Hughes, who also needs to find a way to add an impact player to his organization to help his team improve in 2026–2027.

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