NHL trade grades - Dach to Canadiens, Romanov to Islanders and picks to the Blackhawks

The Montreal Canadiens made a big splash in front of a jubilant home crowd, making two trades that netted them center Kirby Dach.

Montreal sent defenseman Alexander Romanov and the 98th overall pick to the New York Islanders for the 13th overall pick in the first round. They then flipped the No. 13 pick and the 66th overall pick to the Chicago Blackhawks for Dach.

The Canadiens traded Alexander Romanov, the 66th overall pick and the 98th overall pick for the third overall pick in 2019.

That's one way of looking at this trade. Here's another: The Canadiens traded Romanov and those picks for a potential first-line center, something the franchise has been chasing for years. «Potential» being the operative word.

They shot their shot. Romanov is a fan favorite after two seasons who plays solid minutes (20:24) and delivers solid hits. As a restricted free agent, he was due a decent raise. But the Canadiens have a good prospect pipeline for defensemen, so they're dealing from a position of strength. It also can't be ignored that in a moment of uncertainty for Russian players, the Canadiens just traded one.

They also still had the 26th overall pick after selecting Juraj Slafkovsky at first overall.

The question then is whether Dach is worthy of this bounty, and it's a legitimate question. When he was drafted at No. 3 overall in 2019, he was projected as the heir to Jonathan Toews. It hasn't worked out quite like that yet. His goal-scoring has been a disappointment, with mediocre finishing results paired with a low shot volume. His playmaking took a step back, too, this season, with 17 assists in 70 games. There have been injuries and a roller-coaster of productivity each season.

All of this is to say that the Canadiens dealt