On July 7, 2022, the New York Islanders executed a trade that sent the 13th overall pick to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for defenseman Alexander Romanov and the 98th overall pick. The Canadiens subsequently traded the first-round pick and the 66th overall pick for center Kirby Dach of the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks drafted center Frank Nazar, who is currently projected to play the second-line center role behind Connor Bedard. With today being its 3-year anniversary, let's examine who really won this trade.
The current winners: The New York Islanders
The Islanders recently extended Alexander Romanov to an 8-year extension with a $6.25 million AAV. While many fans across the Island were nervous about trading a pick they could have used to draft a potential stud for their depleted prospect pool, the Islanders ended up receiving a stalwart for their defense. Romanov became a fan favorite for the Islanders with his bone-crushing hits, defensive reliability, and his ability to contribute on the rush.
With the 98th overall pick in the fourth round of the NHL draft, the Islanders selected Isaiah George, a young and left-handed defenseman that is currently on the rise in the Islanders' farm system. George was a pleasant and welcomed surprise on the Islanders this year while the team was undergoing an injury crisis. The young defenseman posted a goal and 4 assists for 5 points in 33 games played. George is currently projected to receive some playing time this upcoming year due to having displayed his high defensive IQ, at a young age, after being thrown into a difficult situation last year.
First-year General Manager Mathieu Darche clearly sees the future of the Islanders' blue line in Romanov, as he inked the Russian defenseman to his lucrative but well-deserved deal. While many fans were quick to criticize Lou Lamoriello, the general manager at the time of the trade, it was clear that the Islanders received a cornerstone piece to their defense in this trade. In his career of 354 games played, Romanov has posted 17 goals and 66 assists, for 83 points with a +33 +/- rating. In his 221 games with the Islanders, he posted 11 goals and 51 assists for 66 points and a +41 +/- rating.
It should be noted that Romanov has never had a season resulting in a negative +/- during his tenure on Long Island. Doing some quick math, his stats with the Islanders indicate that while Romanov spent his first two years developing with the Canadiens, with one of those years resulting in a trip to the 2021 Stanley Cup Finals, Romanov only had 4 goals, 15 assists, for 19 points in 133 games played with a -8 +/- rating.
With his stats posted, it is evidently clear that the Islanders received the better end of the deal in the first half of the trade due to them capitalizing on his development trajectory. Romanov began on a pairing with current Canadien Noah Dobson behind Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock. This past year, while the Islanders underwent an injury epidemic, Romanov single-handedly carried the Islanders' contributions from the blue line, where he averaged about 22 minutes of ice time per game.
While the Canadiens and the Islanders had different developmental trajectories at the time of this trade, it is fascinating that the Islanders extended a young cornerstone defenseman, as they are now the younger team at the end of this deal. Romanov, due to his performance and contributions, can be labeled a bargain for what the Islanders gave up and received at the 2022 NHL Draft.
Too early to tell, but a close second: The Chicago Blackhawks
The Blackhawks received two draft picks during the second half of this deal, which resulted in Frank Nazar being drafted at 13th overall and Gavin Hayes being drafted at 66th overall. With Nazar currently blossoming into a roster player, being projected to play as this year's second-line center for Chicago, it can be reasoned that the Blackhawks received a solid deal when they traded away Kirby Dach to Montreal.
Nazar played two seasons in the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (NTDP), where he posted 28 goals and 42 assists in 56 games, which was recorded as his best season in 2021-2022. After being selected 13th overall by the Blackhawks in 2022, Nazar committed to the University of Michigan and recorded his best season in 2023-2024, where he scored 17 goals and 24 assists in 41 games for 41 points.
Nazar began receiving praise and attention during his performance in the 2025 IIHF World Championship, where he led a star-studded roster in scoring with 6 goals and 6 assists for 12 goals in 10 games. His production contributed to the United States winning their first gold medal since 1933, defeating Switzerland 1-0 in the finals.
Nazar's development and international play can be attributed to his play style and his mentality as a competitor. This year, he will be thrust into a full year as a second-line center, a true year with top-six responsibility. While time will tell if the Blackhawks are the true winners of this trade, it is evidently clear that the Blackhawks received a bounty in Frank Nazar that will contribute to their potential success in the long run.
Living on a prayer: The Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens being the losing party to this multilateral exchange isn't out of bias or subjectivity; it is merely objective. Kirby Dach, who had promise in becoming a top-six contributor for the Montreal Canadiens, has undergone a series of unfortunate injuries. These significant injuries have plagued his NHL journey, with questions arising if he can ever play again to his true potential, a player who was once regarded in the same standard as Jack Hughes.
Dach was drafted third overall by Chicago in the 2019 NHL draft, behind Jack Hughes and Kappo Kakko. During his last year in the WHL, Dach posted a breakout year where he scored 25 goals and 48 assists for 73 points in 62 games as a member of the Saskatoon Blades. The center spent three years with the Blackhawks, where he posted a combined 19 goals and 40 assists for 59 points in three seasons. His best statistical year with Chicago was in 2021-2022, where he posted 9 goals and 17 assists for 26 points in 70 games.
Kirby Dach was recognized as a playoff performer while in the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs. In a series where the Blackhawks upset the Edmonton Oilers in the play-in round, Dach was credited as being one of the team's best contributors, where he posted 4 assists in the three games. He scored his first playoff goal against the Vegas Golden Knights; the series resulted in Vegas advancing after defeating Chicago in five games.
Dach's professional injury history began in the 2021 World Junior Championships, where he suffered a wrist injury. He rejoined Chicago very late in the 2020-2021 season, only appearing in 18 games where he tallied 2 goals and 8 assists before reaggravating his wrist injury. After Dach was traded to the Montreal Canadiens, where the expectations were for him to become a top-six contributor, the center set a career high of 38 points with 14 goals and 24 assists in 58 games.
During the 2023-2024 season, with a new set of high expectations, Dach suffered a torn ACL and MCL after sustaining a hit from Blackhawks defenseman Jarred Tinordi. The injuries required a season-ending procedure, with Dach projected to return in the 2024-2025 season. The following season, Dach recorded his 100th career NHL point in the inaugural game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Unfortunately, after recording 22 points in 57 games, Dach underwent another season-ending procedure after it was announced in February of 2025 that he had sustained an injury to his right knee.
The Canadiens losing this trade wasn't necessarily due to mismanagement but due to what can almost be accredited as bad luck. Kirby Dach is a center that had so much promise, being entrusted to lead a second-line on Montreal's top six and being held in high regard in Montreal's promising future. But now, his consistent injury history has led to many questions about his future in the NHL.
To summarize the results of the three-team exchange: The Islanders received a cornerstone piece to their defense in Alexander Romanov, the Blackhawks received a second-line center in Frank Nazar (pending a full season performance), while Montreal received a very promising player that had a series of unfortunate injuries. Time will tell who the true winner of this trade really was. But for now, it is safe to say that the New York Islanders reaped its total benefits for their own promising future.