Dach traded to Canadiens by Blackhawks for 2022 NHL Draft picks

Kirby Dach was traded to the Montreal Canadiens by the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday for the No. 13 and No. 66 picks in the 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft.

Montreal had acquired the No. 13 pick from the New York Islanders in a trade for defenseman Alexander Romanov and the No. 98 pick in the 2022 draft, in which the Islanders selected defenseman Isaiah George from London of the Ontario Hockey League. The trades were announced simultaneously during the first round of the draft at Bell Centre in Montreal.

"You kind of hear rumors here and there and it's a busy time during the draft," Dach said. "I got the phone call five minutes before it was announced. I was actually on my way into the rink to go skate. It was a bit shocking, but I'm excited to be in Montreal. It's a great city and I've loved to play there. I can't wait to have the fans on my side cheering us on. Obviously it's a good team. We're young and we're kind of up and coming. Can't wait about the future."

Dach had 26 points (nine goals, 17 assists) in 70 games this season, his third in the NHL. The 21-year-old center, who was selected by Chicago with the No. 3 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, has 59 points (19 goals, 40 assists) in 152 regular-season games and six points (one goal, five assists) in nine Stanley Cup Playoff games.

"We had, through the rumor mill, heard that they might be willing to move him," Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes said of Dach on ESPN. "So, we had conversations that didn't really go anywhere, based on what they were looking for, to make that pick. Over the course of conversations internally, we tried to move up in the draft because that's what they were looking for, and we were trying to do it with picks. … So, unfortunately, we lose a good member of our team in Alexander Romanov, and we wish him the best. But in doing that, we were able to get where we needed to go to make this happen."

RELATED: NHL Trade Tracker | Fantasy spin

Dach was the second forward traded on Thursday by the Blackhawks, who also sent Alex DeBrincat to the Ottawa Senators for the No. 7 and No. 39 picks in the 2022 draft and a third-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. Chicago selected defenseman Kevin Korchinski from Seattle of the Western Hockey League with the No. 7 pick, then took center Frank Nazar of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program at No. 13.

With the No. 39 pick, the Blackhawks selected forward Paul Ludwinski from Kingston of the OHL and took forward Gavin Hayes from Flint of the OHL at No. 66.

"[Dach and DeBrincat] are good players," Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson said. "They're good players and you know, DeBrincat is a little more established in his career. He's a highly productive player. But you know what, we're in our rebuild, we need assets, we need young assets, and we need to build up that prospect base, and we thought that was the best way to go. We've got our process, we're sticking to it. We're happy with how today is going."

Dach believes he will fit in well with the Canadiens and is excited to play for coach Martin St. Louis.

"I think it will be good for me to kind of have a fresh start, be the player I know I can be," Dach said. "I feel like I'm pretty offensive and smart with the puck and can make plays, but also a reliable, two-way centerman that's big and strong down the middle of the ice that skates well and can make plays.

"I feel like Montreal is a place where I can flourish with that. I talked to a few of the guys, and they love Marty as the coach, and I feel like him and I are going to get along good and he's going to really help me bring out my best skill assets and become a dominant player."

Romanov had 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in 79 games this season. A second-round pick (No. 38) by Montreal in the 2018 NHL Draft, the 22-year-old has 19 points (four goals, 15 assists) in 133 regular-season games and one goal in four playoff games.

The Canadiens selected forward Juraj Slafkovsky from TPS of Liiga, Finland's top professional league, with the No. 1 pick in the 2022 draft.

Chicago acquired goalie Petr Mrazek along with the No. 25 pick in the draft (defenseman Sam Rinzel) from the Toronto Maple Leafs for a second-round pick (No. 38).