Kirby Dach Injury Fallout Is Major For The Montreal Canadiens

Top Line Impact

Dach hadn’t been playing on the top line this year, however, Martin St-Louis has used him alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield in the past to improve their overall play.

Both Suzuki and Caufield can get by on pure skill, but Dach was one of the few players who played with them and managed to generate very strong underlying numbers. In other words, when Dach was on the top the line, not only did they produce offence, but they produced the type of offence that was sustainable from game to game.

For now, the Canadiens can use Josh Anderson on the top line, but statistically speaking, it’s not an ideal long-term solution.

Middle Roster Issues

Alex Newhook can shift to the middle of the ice, and that will help reinforce the centre position, but it’s only fair to say that Newhook does not possess the same skill set as Dach. Newhook is fast, but he doesn’t create as much time and space as his teammate, especially while carrying the puck through the neutral zone.

It’s also a frustrating situation for Juraj Slafkovsky, who had benefited significantly from playing with Dach. Not only was Slafkovsky producing good offence, but he was also enjoying his best streak of hockey when it came to his underlying numbers.

We should also note that third-line centre, Sean Monahan, may end up playing a little more than expected now that Dach is injured. Like Dach, Monahan usually stabilizes whatever line he plays on, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s eventually placed on the second line to replace Dach’s skill in transition.

Of course, removing Monahan from the third line would surely mitigate the overall depth and offensive capabilities of the lineup.

Brass Tacks

Any way you cut it, this is devastating news for the Montreal Canadiens.

It’s yet another injury on a team that has undergone more injuries than any other team in the NHL in recent years. Dach also happens to be the glue that keeps the middle of the lineup together.

It will perhaps present an opportunity for a player from Laval, such as Joshua Roy, which is always entertaining, but when it comes down to it, few other players in the lineup make a bigger positive impact than the player the Canadiens just lost indeterminately.