The Montreal Canadiens have signed restricted free agent forward Kirby Dach to a one-year, $3.6 million contract to avoid arbitration.
Dach, 25, recorded eight goals and 15 points in 37 games with the Montreal Canadiens last season and missed 31 with a fractured foot.
He added four goals and five points in 19 playoff games before the Canadiens were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Final.
Dach was originally acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks in July of 2022 in exchange for two draft picks and struggled to stay in the Canadiens’ lineup during his four-season tenure, never appearing in more than 58 games.
The 6-foot-4 centre is coming off a four-year, $13.45 million contract that carried a cap hit of $3.36 million.
Drafted third overall by the Blackhawks in 2019, Dach has 51 goals and 136 points in 306 career games split between the Blackhawks and Canadiens.
