Dach isn't pulling his weight.
A day after writing about the shortcomings of Kirby Dach, Martin St. Louis benched him. He played just 11:57 in the game where the Canadiens lost to the Anaheim Ducks. That's not a surprise to me.
St. Louis is trying to set a standard, much like his former Tampa Bay Lightning coach, John Tortorella. That means, if you don’t do what is expected of you at both ends of the ice, you will set. Sometimes just for a period in a game and sometimes it takes games for the player to get back into the coach’s good graces. I doubt Dach will miss full games but I can’t say for certain.
Dach was put on notice so let’s see if he can rise to the occasion. Something has to fire the young pivot up, he’s not a good two-way player but he has to be respectable in that aspect of his game and it’s less palatable because his offense is lacking. And that’s being kind.
Could the Canadiens move Dach to the wing? I guess, but if that happens then that will create another problem for next season. They could do it for a few games but I don’t see it. I can see a demotion to a bottom-six role, still as the center as a logical outcome until he can get in the good graces of the coach. The Canadiens have to win a few before the four nations break just to feel good about their season so far.