Kirby Dach Out For 2-4 Weeks

Dach sustained this new injury after he was hit on Sunday night by Anaheim Ducks forward Jeffrey Viel, who delivered a blow that saw the Habs forward go down hard. Given the way he hit the ice, there is a chance that the injury is a concussion, as his head appeared to snap back on the play. While it was a hit that looked bad, it’s clear Viel got him in the shoulder, so there was reason for a penalty call, but sadly it leads to yet another injury to the Habs’ most injury-prone player in Dach.

In 32 games this season, Dach has put up 8 goals and 14 points, putting up just a little under half a point per game while playing up and down the lineup. He was most recently playing on the Canadiens’ 3rd line, which is likely where he would have fit the rest of the season had he not gotten injured once again. It’s really hard to see how he can have any part in the Habs plan going forward given that his availability to the team has been under 50% over his 4 years here. There is a realistic reason to believe that he may have played his last game with the Canadiens on Sunday night.

The only way that the Canadiens should bring him back as a pending RFA is if he takes a cheap prove-it deal to see if he can somehow manage to stay healthy. Dach can be a good piece on a 3rd line by adding offence when he’s able to stay in the lineup.

To get that prove-it deal, the Habs would need to take a risk by not qualifying him as an RFA because it would cost around $4 million for a qualifying offer, which would be too much for a guy that wouldn’t be reliable enough to stay in the lineup as well as not develop into the guy everyone was hoping for when he was acquired as a 21-year-old at the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. With that being said, if the Habs want to bring him back for around $2 million on a one-year deal, they will have to risk signing him as an unrestricted free agent where other teams can pay him more. Therefore, it could be hard to see him return as a Hab, as other teams may be willing to pay him more.

On Monday night’s episode of the Sick Podcast, Tony Marinaro and guest Nicolas Cloutier discussed the possibility that Kent Hughes could trade him to make sure they don’t lose Dach for nothing in the end. This could be something to consider, although his value isn’t high, so they likely wouldn’t get much, but there is a chance he can be a sweetener in a bigger trade with a team that believes they can still rebuild his game. It just may be too late for Dach to work out as a Hab at the end of the day.

Do you see Kirby Dach re-signing with the Habs, or will he end up going elsewhere?