Under General Manager Craig Conroy, the Calgary Flames have made their mission moving forward to build for a successful, long-term future. This summer, they've made plenty of moves to prioritize the youth movement, and with another fantastic draft, this team is clearly working their plan perfectly.
One move that prioritizes the future that nobody saw coming was the Flames decision to acquire Simon Nemec and hand him a long-term contract extension, and now, the blue line of the future is taking shape.
However, the organization still needs to find some stars up front, especially at the centre position, so it shouldn't come as much surprise to anyone that they're targeting an upgrade down the midde.
Calgary Flames Interest in Kirby Dach Remains Ongoing
The player the organization have eyes for is Montreal Canadiens centre Kirby Dach, and while there's other names out there the team could pursue if they become available, according to Frank Seravalli, as late as training camp the organization have been in contact with Montreal.
"He fits Calgary’s age scheme; There were rumblings that the Flames have followed up with Montréal since camps opened."Frank Seravalli
As of right now, it's unclear how close things have come in negotiations, but given that Dach is just 25-years-old with 306 games of NHL experience under his belt, it's a connection that certainly makes sense. However, the limited offensive upside doesn't make too much sense for a team that finished 32nd in goals scored in the NHL a year ago, with Dach posting a combined 18 goals and 37 points across the past two seasons.
Would This be a Smart Move for the Flames?
On paper, the Flames have a need for centres, and while the likes of Jonathan Castagna, Tyson Gross and Sam Morton all give AHL/potential bottom-six coverage, the team need stars. Therefore, giving up any assets that could allow the Flames to move up in the draft or acquire a potential star makes very little sense, and given that we don't know how aggressive the Flames have been in pursuit of Dach, the hope is that they wouldn't give up too much to get him anyway.
In Seravalli's report, he mentions that the Oilers are also a team looking to add Dach as they pursue a Stanley Cup, so in a deal, the Flames could be stealing him away from a rival looking to load up for another deep run.
Ultimately though, the Flames need offensive upside, and while the contract for Dach is a cheap one and a potential way to unload an asset to Montreal, it's not going to be worth it, and the team should be looking at players with much higher offensive upside instead.
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