Stan Bowman urged to acquire big forward to reunite brothers on the Oilers

Here's the built-in headline: Kirby's younger brother Colton already plays center for the Oilers.

That family framing is doing more work than it should.

Montreal quietly extended Dach a four million dollar qualifying offer on June 29, an unexpected keep-or-cash-in move given he managed just fifteen points in thirty seven games and finished the year on a minus five stretch.

Canadiens GM Kent Hughes wasn't betting on a Dach bounce back season, he was buying leverage before July 1 so Montreal could shop him instead of losing him for nothing.

Edmonton isn't chasing sentiment, general manager Stan Bowman is chasing a cheap, controllable center to pair with the bottom six grit Colton already provides in new coach Mike Babcock's lineup.

Bowman is now being urged to pursue Kirby.

Dach's 3.36 million dollar cap hit fits a roster that just moved Darnell Nurse's money to San Jose, and his restricted free agent status means Edmonton could get him without paying UFA prices Giroux or DeBrusk would command.

DeBrusk carries a five and a half million cap hit through 2031 and a minus 31 rating in Vancouver, numbers that make him a much heavier swing than the board suggests.

Every version of this list treats Dach, DeBrusk and Giroux as equal targets, but only one of them is a value play forced onto the market by his own team's contract math.

Edmonton finished 41-30-11 with a plus 17 goal differential last season, a roster built to add efficient depth, not take on long term risk.

If Bowman moves on Dach, it will be Montreal's calculated gamble, not a hometown reunion, that made the trade possible.

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