This is a tough one to write. You have to feel for Kirby Dach, the man has had rotten luck with injuries, but hockey is a business, and you must take the human side out of the equation. When the Montreal Canadiens acquired him, they wanted the big-sized forward to become their number two center, and at one stage, it did look like he might manage it, but then, the injury ninja struck.

A shoulder injury ended his first season with the Habs, and then, four periods into the following season, he wrecked his knee, missing the remaining 80 games. Understandably, the organization pleaded for fans and media alike to be patient with Dach this season; after all, he had not played for almost a year.

Canadiens: The Maple Leafs’ Cautionary Tale
Canadiens: The Grades Are In – Patrik Laine
Canadiens: Could The Ducks Entertain A Big Trade?

Everyone was patient, but eventually, a player must regain some form, and it felt like Dach didn’t. In his end-of-season press conference, Kent Hughes said he would have to show up ready to go to camp, highlighting that his skating wasn’t there when he turned up for camp in September, and that’s not acceptable. The injury wasn’t his fault, but being unable to skate as fluidly to start the 2024-25 campaign was. He was given the all-clear to skate in Spring 2024, so he had no excuse.

Of course, shying away from contact involuntarily was understandable. Anyone who suffers that kind of injury on a hit will have the reflex to protect themselves, and it takes time to get rid of that, but being in tip-top shape would have helped.

Dach looked slow on the ice initially, and fans and the brass hoped that would go away progressively, but it didn’t. In 57 games, Dach could only muster 22 points. In comparison, in 2022-23, when he skated in 58 games, he registered 38 points. That’s a 16-point regression. Missing a whole year because of an injury doesn’t account for that much of a dip; unfortunately, that’s a big regression.

Granted, his average ice time back then was 18:30, while it was just 15:40 this season, but ice time has to be earned, and he didn’t do that. His 40.3% success rate at the faceoff dot might have been the best of his career (ex aequo with his 18-game season with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2020-21), but that’s not enough for a center, let alone for a second-line center.

As harsh as it may sound, I’m afraid Dach cannot get a passing grade for the season, even when adjusting expectations because he missed a whole year, I cannot give him more than a D+. I’m not saying the Canadiens should move on from Dach; he still has a year left to prove himself, but he’ll need to improve significantly if he intends to become part of the Habs’ core. He’ll be an RFA at the end of the next season, and as things stand, I can’t see Hughes wanting to commit long term to a significant cap hit.

Canadiens stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News, never to miss a story.  

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.