MONTREAL — The Montreal Canadiens acquired 21-year-old Chicago Blackhawks center Kirby Dach in an NHL draft night shocker, earning a loud reaction from the home fans inside Bell Centre on Thursday night.
The transaction was the result of two trades. Montreal sent defenseman Alexander Romanov and the 98th overall pick to the New York Islanders for the 13th overall pick in Thursday night's first round.
They then flipped the No. 13 pick and the 66th overall pick to the Blackhawks for Dach, the third overall pick in the 2019 draft and a restricted free agent.
Dach had 26 points in 70 games for the Blackhawks last season, his third in the NHL. Many were surprised to hear that the 6-foot-4 center was available during the Blackhawks' offseason sell-off, which saw them trade winger Alex DeBrincat to the Ottawa Senators before the draft.