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The biggest question mark for Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes entering the offseason, and really since being eliminated from the playoffs, is who will be their second line center entering the 2025-2026 season?
Ivan Demidov and Patrik Laine need an option to center them with more offensive upside than Jake Evans and Alex Newhook, and a little more grit wouldn't hurt either. The current chatter has been impossible to ignore, and with the NHL draft on Friday, the chatter is sure to get louder before it quiets down.
But could the Canadiens already have an in-house option, one that Hughes spent a significant trade package to acquire, who would be practical to consider?
Kirby Dach is the perfect feel-good story in the making, and after another frustrating injury setback cost him some essential development time, he could be a nice dark-horse option.
A motivated Dach, realizing his potential and developing into what the Chicago Blackhawks envisioned when they drafted him third overall in 2019, and the same thing that Hughes felt he was getting when he traded for Dach three years ago on Saturday.
Dach is big and physical, and he plays with an edge, a few of the elements that Hughes would be looking for in a prospective second-line center acquisition. 2025-2026 also happens to be the final year of his current deal, so he has all the motivation in the world to perform.
It's a big undertaking to ask Dach to do that, but he does have the distinction of being a former third overall selection, which comes with its expectations and pressure.
There are obvious areas in need of improvement for Dach, but it's his natural gifts that make him a great option to consider as a center for Laine and Demidov, and when Michael Hage arrives, he can move down to the third line, giving the Canadiens tremendous depth down the middle.
It wasn't that long ago that Dach scored 38 points in 58 games, and so long as he is healthy and ready for training camp, the 6-foot-4, 216-pound centre from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. His game is all about skating, and he carves up defenses who underestimate him with fantastic puck skills and great vision that he uses to execute acrobatic passes.
Even if he doesn't end up being the Canadiens center for game one of the 2025-26 season, he still has a pretty good case for a shot at the vacant post.
More must-reads:
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Bruins' Charlie McAvoy Shares First Picture After Facial Surgery
Boston Bruins star Charlie McAvoy resurfaced publicly for the first time since undergoing facial surgery on Thursday. The blueliner posted a Thanksgiving message alongside a family photo on Instagram in what became his first appearance since he went down injured in mid-November. McAvoy has been recovering at home after taking a deflected slap shot to the face during a Nov. 15 win against the Montreal Canadiens. The player thanked those who reached out following the injury and expressed relief to be home during the holiday. “Thanks to everyone who sent thoughts and prayers to us,” McAvoy wrote. “Feeling so grateful to be home and together this Thanksgiving.” McAvoy added a message for his son while mentioning his wife, Kiley, in the same post. “Most thankful for the glue that holds this family together and navigates us through every difficult time, we’re so lucky you’re ours @kileymcavoy,” McAvoy wrote. “Happy Thanksgiving to all.” Along with the message, McAvoy shared a family photo along with his wife and young son, marking the first time fans have seen his face since surgery. The Bruins placed the 27-year-old on injured reserve on Nov. 23, and head coach Marco Sturm said the priority remains rest and recovery. Sturm also confirmed McAvoy was recovering at home and not traveling with the team. While there is no set timetable for McAvoy's return, Sturm acknowledged the injury is serious enough to sideline the defenseman indefinitely. Meanwhile, ESPN's Emily Kaplan reported the best-case scenario has McAvoy back in time for the February Olympics, where he is expected to play a major role for Team USA. Before the injury, McAvoy recorded 14 assists in 19 games and continued to lead Boston in ice time. After two weeks without their main defenseman, the Bruins still sit third in the Atlantic Division with a 14-11-0 record and 28 points through 25 games.
Jerry Jones claims Jets turned down absurd trade offer involving Micah Parsons, Quinnen Williams
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recently revealed that he offered Micah Parsons plus a first-round pick to the New York Jets in exchange for Quinnen Williams during training camp. Jerry Jones says Jets turned out incredible trade offer for Quinnen Williams “I wanted a one and Parsons for Williams,” Jones said on 103.5 The Fan. That seems like an absurd offer, but Jones left little up to interpretation. “A one and Parsons for Williams,” he repeated. Later, he added that the deal did not go through because the Jets “did not have the cap room to pay [Parsons].” Jones also said something similar to WFAA’s Ed Werder: “We tried at training camp with the Jets to basically make an exchange that was ready to go, heads up, with Quinnen and Micah and a one, and we didn’t get it done.” Parsons, of course, was instead sent to the Packers for defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round picks. The Cowboys later acquired Williams before the trade deadline for a package including a 2027 first-rounder, a 2026 second-rounder and defensive tackle Mazi Smith. Jones has slowly revealed more and more information about the Parsons trade since it was completed. During a September radio appearances on ESPN New York, Jones said that called the Jets regarding Williams when he was shopping Parsons before the season. The Jets were not interested, he claimed, because they “didn’t have the resources to entertain [the] conversation,” similar to his pronouncement on 103.5. If true, Jets made a big mistake If Jones’ latest revelation is true, that means two things. First, he was willing to sacrifice a massive amount of value to move Parsons and acquire Williams. Second, the Jets made a huge mistake in not accepting the deal. Although Williams is an excellent defensive tackle, Parsons is undoubtedly a better and more valuable player, even at a higher price point. This year, Williams has 2.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss this season; per Pro Football Focus, he ranks fifth among interior defenders with 40 pressures but 38th with a 12.1% pass-rush win rate. Parsons, meanwhile, has 12.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss, plus 67 pressures and a 24.3% pass-rush win rate, both top-three marks among NFL edge-rushers. In his career, he has averaged 0.89 sacks and one tackle for loss per game; Williams’ per-game numbers are 0.41 sacks and 0.60 tackles for loss. Those numbers may not tell the complete story of either player, but it seems like the Jets should have taken Jones’ offer. Sure, they would have had to pony up for Parsons’ mega-extension, but they were already prepared to move on from Williams. Adding an extra first-round pick on top would also give the Jets an opportunity to add another starter — if not a star — on a rookie contract. That would help to offset the financial cost of acquiring Parsons. How realistic is Jerry Jones' claim? But Jones’ words should also be taken with a grain of salt. He has spent a lot of time trying to retroactively justify trading away Parsons, especially after using some of the resulting draft capital to acquire Williams. Claiming that the Jets were not interested in Parsons and a first-rounder for Williams serves to downplay the former’s value and boost the latter’s. The idea that the Jets could not afford to pay Parsons does not hold water, either. After his extension, the All-Pro edge-rusher’s cap hit in 2025 is just $9.97M. New York certainly could have designed a similar contract structure and absorbed Perhaps the Jets didn't want to commit so much money to Parsons as they were clearly contemplating a rebuild. Parsons would still be a cornerstone for that effort, but he may not have wanted to weather any losing seasons in the hopes of a future turnaround. But again, adding another first-round pick would have accelerated that process, and a core of Parsons, cornerback Sauce Gardner and wide receiver Garrett Wilson seems like a solid foundation for the Jets to build from. That is an expensive trio, but having elite players at three of the sport’s most important positions is a good problem to have. Instead, the Jets declined the Cowboys’ initial offer for Williams before moving him and Gardner at the deadline as part of what appears to be a full-on franchise reset.
Arch Manning has defining performance of college career in win over Texas A&M
In the biggest game of his college football career so far, Texas quarterback Arch Manning grew into the superstar he was touted to be with the nation watching. No. 16 Texas (9-3) earned a huge rivalry win over No. 3 Texas A M (11-1) in Austin on Friday in large part thanks to the second-half play of Manning. Manning was only 8-of-21 for 51 yards in the first half, and the Longhorns trailed the Aggies 10-3 at the break. Texas had an opportunity to kick a field goal and cut the A M lead to four at the break, but an intentional grounding penalty incurred by Manning took that opportunity away. Arch Manning lights up the scoreboard in second half But with the help of a Texas defense that rattled TAMU QB Marcel Reed in the second half, Manning and the 'Horns scored 24 second-half points in a winning effort. Texas' first drive of the second half netted three points, but a strike from Manning to Ryan Wingo on the next UT possession gave the Longhorns the lead and gave Manning some confidence. After another defensive stop, Manning led a six-play, 83-yard TD drive to put the Longhorns up by 10. After Texas A M responded, Manning did as well, running away from the Aggie defense on a 35-yard scoring sprint that ultimately served as the deciding blow. In the end, it was Reed — the more experienced and consistent of the two quarterbacks — that made the back-breaking mistake, throwing an interception deep in Texas territory on a drive that looked poised to end with points. The victory was a team effort for Texas, which will await Saturday's slate of games and beg for several playoff contenders to lose to have a shot at the 12-team playoff field. But it was Manning who would be the face of it. Manning went 14-of-29 for 179 yards and a touchdown through the air and added 53 yards and a score on the ground. The win serves as the biggest moment of Manning's young UT career. Going into Saturday, Manning's sophomore season was marred by inconsistent play. A career day against Arkansas was contrasted by middling performances against Ohio State and Georgia. Standout efforts in wins over Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Oklahoma were overshadowed by no-shows against UTEP, Kentucky and Florida. But Manning rose to his greatest challenge on Saturday, delivering a win in a rivalry game that nobody in the state of Texas — whether they wear burnt orange or maroon — will soon forget.
Dallas Cowboys' chances of beating Lions just increased with an update the NFL world will hate to hear
The 6-5-1 Dallas Cowboys are looking to extend their win streak to four in a row next Thursday when they take on the 7-5 Detroit Lions on primetime television. Though the Lions are known as one of the best teams in the conference, they are struggling to be consistent on offense, and the defense has serious problems, too. There are a lot of factors that go into Detroit's biggest issues on offense, which was known as one of the scariest units in the league not that long ago. But it all starts with the trenches, where they simply haven't been the same. The Lions' offensive line's struggles reached the point where they had to draw former second-team All-Pro center Frank Ragnow out of retirement. However, Ragnow's return is over before it even got a chance to get going. Lions announce Ragnow failed his physical ahead of Cowboys matchup On Saturday, the Lions announced Ragnow's activation to the 53-man roster isn't happening after he failed his physical. "The medical exam revealed a Grade 3 hamstring strain that will keep him from participating for the remainder of the regular season," the team's statement reads. "For that reason, Frank will not be rejoining the Lions." It was already unlikely Ragnow would play in Week 14 due to his inactivity this year. However, the Lions are reaching must-win territory, so it wasn't out of the question. This update confirms it. It's a disappointing update even though it helps the Cowboys' chances of winning. You never want to see a star's return get ruined before it even starts. But it is what it is in football. With that being said, there's no denying it's an objectively positive development for a Dallas team starving for any break it can get as it tries to make the playoffs. Cowboys' rising DL will face struggling Lions OL Over the last few years, the motor driving the Lions' success was its offensive line. Now that it's struggling, Jared Goff's play is showing flaws, and the run game has been inconsistent. On the other side, the Cowboys' defense is quickly improving. Since Quinnen Williams' arrival via trade, Matt Eberflus' unit has shown an ability to pressure the quarterback and stop the run. While it hasn't been perfect, it's that interior defensive line that's sparked quality play. The Cowboys are 3.5-point underdogs against the Lions heading into Week 14 but this advantage in the trenches could position them to pull off a third consecutive upset. window.addEventListener('message', function (event) {if (event.data.totalpoll event.data.totalpoll.action === 'resizeHeight') {document.querySelector('#totalpoll-iframe-375').height = event.data.totalpoll.value;}}, false);document.querySelector('#totalpoll-iframe-375').contentWindow.postMessage({totalpoll: {action: 'requestHeight'}}, '*'); This story was originally published by A to Z Sports on Nov 29, 2025, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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