Kirby Dach 2.0: Names the Canadiens Could Look at this Off-Season
By Ryan Praught
Alex Turcotte was drafted fifth overall by the LA Kings in 2019, the same year Caufield and Dach were drafted. Since then, the centreman has struggled to break into the NHL. He’s played in just 12 NHL games thus far, failing to register a point, but he’s spent most of his time in the AHL. At 22 years old, you’d like to see him make it to the NHL full-time pretty soon, but it might not happen in LA.
Cole Caufield is very familiar with Alex Turcotte, as they were teammates in the United States Development Program and at Wisconsin. Perhaps a reunion and a more straightforward path to the NHL could do wonders for Turcotte. Currently, the Kings have a very deep forward core in Los Angeles and a deep prospect pool (ranked #7 by the Athletic earlier this year). Turcotte might have the chance to play in the NHL immediately in Montreal.
Turcotte isn’t the most exciting player, but he was drafted fifth overall for a reason, he’s a very skilled player. At this rate, it feels unlikely he’ll ever be the star he was once expected to be, but he could be a nice middle-six forward that provides depth scoring for Montreal. And you never know; he could always find the form that got him drafted so high.
With LA looking to compete right now, they might be willing to move on from Turcotte, and the Canadiens might not even need to give up as much as they did for Dach. The question is, of course, centered around whether or not Turcotte is worth trading for. I still think the upside is there, as does Scott Wheeler of the Athletic:
"When he plays with pace, confidence, and an attack mentality, he’s a highly-involved player who can make a lot of plays (especially as a passer through layers/under sticks/around feet). He has quick hands in traffic, he understands how to use space as a playmaker, and he plays a driven, engaged style that pulls his linemates into the fight."
Turcotte wouldn’t be my first choice to go after this off-season, but if the Canadiens are looking for a young player to try and “fix” like they did with Kirby Dach, the American forward is certainly a viable candidate. Perhaps the Canadiens could act as a cap broker for the Kings, taking on a bad contract with Turcotte being the sweetener. It’s certainly an option.