Montreal Canadiens Are Hoping for a Healthy Kirby Dach

The Montreal Canadiens will be a team to watch in the Atlantic Division this season. President Jeff Gorton and General Manager Kent Hughes have been doing this rebuild the right way after the Canadiens went to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final. There is a lot of talent in place that has taken the next step under head coach Martin St. Louis. Kirby Dach is a player looking to benefit from St. Louis’s guidance.

The Canadiens acquired Dach from the Chicago Blackhawks at the 2022 NHL Draft in Montreal. Dach showed great promise when he entered the NHL after being drafted third overall by the Blackhawks in 2019. In 212 games in the NHL, Dach has recorded 99 points (33 goals and 66 assists).

When the Canadiens acquired Dach, they signed him up for a four-year extension that ran through the 2025-26 season. The contract had an excellent AAV of $3.3625 million per season. However, Kirby Dach has played in just 60 games with the Canadiens.

Last year, he played in just two games before tearing his ACL and MCL in his knee, sidelining him for the whole season. In 2022-23, his first season in Montreal, he recorded 38 points (14 goals and 24 assists)—all career highs. Kirby Dach’s biggest issue is health.

Again, there was a lot of hope for Dach when he came to Montreal. He would give the Canadiens depth down the middle, something they had lacked. He was joining a young core consisting of Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Juraj Slafkovsky. All three of these young players have signed eight-year extensions with the Canadiens. Slafkovsky is the most recent. 

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But injuries have sidelined his development in Montreal. Nobody knows what he can be in Martin St. Louis’s system. There was only a glimpse, not even a glimpse, at the start of the season. Dach and Slfakovsky played well together. However, Slafkovsky moved to the top line with Suzuki and Caufield. Slafkovsky broke out and had a great year last season. He took the next step in his development. Now, it is Dach’s turn.

But he needs to stay healthy. Montreal expects him to carry that second line and play center the whole season. While Alex Newhook filled in nicely last season, and they had the benefit of Sean Monahan, they don’t have that veteran in Monahan anymore. It is on Dach to be the leader of this line.

When entering training camp, people will be watching Dach and his skating. They will also be watching how he develops chemistry with his linemates. We know he is an intelligent player on the ice, has a great hockey sense, and can make his teammates better. That will be the focus for the Canadiens and Kirby Dach this season.

Management trusts Martin St. Louis as the head coach, but can St. Louis trust Dach? That will be a big question for the Canadiens this season.

There was a lot of hope for Kirby Dach when he got traded to Montreal. However, things have not worked out well—not through any fault of his own. However, this is a big year for the young player with the Canadiens.

The Canadiens are hoping that Dach can have a resurgence and become a 60 to 65-point player in the league, elevating his game and his teammates’ games. Again, this all comes down to whether he can stay healthy. And right now, that is a big IF.

However, if Kirby Dach can stay healthy, expect the Montreal Canadiens to have the player they had in his first season with the club. That only means good things for this organization as they inch closer to ending their rebuild and eye a return to the playoffs.