Montreal Canadiens forward Kirby Dach is still injured, and with no date set for his return, one can wonder what the Habs will do with him going forward.
On November 16, when the Montreal Canadiens announced that Kirby Dach had suffered a fractured foot, the timeline for his return was set at four to six weeks. It’s now been seven and a half weeks, and the forward still hasn’t returned. Even worse, on Wednesday night, he was spotted wearing a walking boot at the Bell Centre.
In his mid-year review, GM Kent Hughes said, “Wasn’t it six to eight weeks?” when he was asked about his 2022 draft day trade acquisition’s timetable to return to action. That was followed by an admission that the Canadiens intend to be very careful with the soon-to-be 25-year-old, not only because he’s often injured, but because the current injury is on the same leg on which he suffered a significant knee injury in the past.
Report: Canadiens Interested In Flames Top Target
Canadiens Defenseman Sent Down To Laval Rocket
Canadiens Beat Flames In Dominant Fashion
But then, on Thursday morning, when there was no practice or morning skate scheduled, Kirby Dach was on the ice like fellow injured players Kaiden Guhle, Jake Evans and Patrik Laine. The number 77 was only on the ice for 20 minutes, under the watchful eye of director of hockey development Adam Nicholas. The way he was skating doesn’t suggest an imminent return, and as sad as it is for the player, he may be running out of time with the Canadiens.
When Hughes traded for him, he signed a four-year bridge deal intended to give Dach time to show what he could do. It should have been more than enough, but nearly four years later, Dach has played only 132 of 289 possible games. That’s only 46% of the Habs’ games over that span.
Worst still, especially for a player who was meant to be a center, his winning percentage at the faceoff dot has stood at 38.3%, 37.5%, 40.3%, and 43% (but that was on just 15 games), for an average of 39.8%. In a league where puck possession is so important, it would be madness to press on with Dach pencilled in as the second line center. Oliver Kapanen, who has been centring the second line for most of the season, has a 46.4% success rate and has only 61 games of NHL experience.
Aside from the faceoff percentage, Dach also cannot manage to stay healthy. Building a Stanley Cup-contending team means finding the right pieces at the right price, and you need those pieces to be available. That was my primary concern when Hughes gave Kaiden Guhle a six-year deal, and since that deal was signed in July 2024, Guhle has played 55 games in the first season and only five this season.
That has meant the Canadiens have had to make do with two sixth defenseman in their lineup for most of the time, with Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble, no disrespect to either of them. Still, ideally, you only want one of the two in the lineup, and it’s putting the Canadiens in quite a pickle. They do not need the same kind of pressure to have a plan B ready at all times, especially not down the middle.
Hughes said at his latest press conference that he believes Kapanen can be a good second-line centre in the NHL. While his performance has been impressive so far, it might be a bit early to draw that conclusion, even though it made sense for Hughes to voice it. There’s also Michael Hage, who’s likely to make the jump to the pros at the end of this season, but he remains a project despite his fantastic form at the World Junior Championship.
Success at that level doesn’t necessarily mean excellence in the NHL. Just look at Ryan Poehling. He was the tournament’s MVP in 2019, and he’s now a depth forward for the Anaheim Ducks, mainly playing as their fourth center, sometimes third when they are dealing with injuries.
The truth is, nobody knows, maybe not even Kent Hughes himself, what he’ll do with Dach when he becomes an RFA this summer. He might give him a qualifying offer, but he can’t bet much on the Albertan becoming what the GM originally hoped he would be; the Habs need a better and safer option, as sad as it is for Dach.
Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.
Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.
Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable on The Hockey News.
Subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here.