The Montreal Canadiens had a game-changing off-season. You don’t win top spot in THN.com [http://thn.com]’s Summer Splash series [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/nhl-summer-splash-rankings-no-1-montreal-canadiens] if you’re not the cream of the crop in terms of off-seasons. Canadiens GM Kent Hughes has done great work in improving the overall quality of the team with the trade acquisitions of star defenseman Noah Dobson and Zack Bolduc, and Montreal now has a terrific shot at improving on its solid 2024-25 season. Still, when you’re rebuilding from the basement to the ceiling the way the Habs are, you’re still going to have some problem areas to deal with. And as the 2025-26 season appeared close on the horizon, the Canadiens [http://thn.com/montreal]’ chief problem area is their second-line center. While Montreal has more than enough cap space [https://puckpedia.com/team/montreal-canadiens] to go out and trade for an experienced hand to fill the role, Habs brass are giving the first shot at the job to youngster Kirby Dach again [https://www.montrealgazette.com/sports/hockey/montreal-canadiens/article1176872.html]. Canadiens fans no doubt are hoping the 24-year-old Dach can rise to the occasion, but some will point to his bad luck on the health front as a reason to be skeptical he can thrive as Montreal’s No. 2 pivot. In six NHL seasons, Dach has played more than 58 games in a single season just one time – when he appeared in 70 games for the Chicago Blackhawks [http://thn.com/chicago] in 2021-22. Even in the two seasons shortened by COVID-19, he missed at least part of the season. All in all, Dach has appeared in only 269 career regular-season games, the 10th-most among the 2019 NHL draft class despite making the league right away. So it’s understandable why some observers would rather Hughes acquire a more experienced hand to be their second-line center. You want the proven commodity, and Dach is certainly not that. Kirby Dach (David Kirouac-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/28e6e1ff-0e97-4e7f-a4c8-befe19357044.jpeg] Kirby Dach (David Kirouac-Imagn Images) From this writer’s perspective, there’s simply not enough sample size for Dach to be adequately judged. And the truth is, Dach's scoring rate dropped significantly last season, from putting up 14 goals and 38 points in 58 games in 2022-23 to generating just 10 goals and 22 points in 57 games in 2025-26. Those numbers certainly aren’t going to cut it as the Canadiens’ second-line center. This coming year, Dach is about to have what is probably his last best shot at flourishing with the Habs and realizing the potential that came with being the third-overall draft pick in 2019. He’s in the final season of a contract that pays him $3.36 million [https://puckpedia.com/player/kirby-dach], but he’s not going to get a significant raise unless he improves significantly. That’s just the law of the pro sports jungle, and if Dach doesn’t realize his potential, he'll be quickly replaced, either internally or via a trade or free agent-signing next summer or sooner. The rubber is about to hit the road for Dach in a major way, and he needs a seriously solid start to the season – and throughout the season, for that matter – for him to solidify his status as a Canadiens fixture moving forward. The stakes are sky-high for him, and in that regard, he’s no different than the Canadiens as a whole. For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.
