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Montreal Canadiens: In other news… Gallagher’s Regression, Roy’s Hot Start

By Scott Cowan

MONTREAL, CANADA - MARCH 21: Kirby Dach #77 of the Montreal Canadiens celebrates his goal with teammates on the bench during the first period against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Centre Bell on March 21, 2023 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, CANADA - MARCH 21: Kirby Dach #77 of the Montreal Canadiens celebrates his goal with teammates on the bench during the first period against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Centre Bell on March 21, 2023 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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Sep 30, 2023; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens center Kirby Dach. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 30, 2023; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens center Kirby Dach. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports /

Canadiens: Kirby Dach’s Season Ending Injury Leaves Questions about Durability

Kirby Dach’s season is over after just two games and two points. What was a promising showing to start from the former third overall pick is now dead in the water, after a crushing check into the boards from former Habs prospect Jarred Tinordi tore both his ACL and MCL in his right knee.

It’s yet another unfortunate development for a Habs team that hasn’t been healthy in what feels like a decade. Going back all the way to the 2019-20 season Montreal has had repeated injury troubles year after year. While 2021-22 was a write-off just on account of Dominique Ducharme forgetting how to coach if he even knew how to in the first place, last season became infuriating for many Canadiens fans with just the sheer number of injuries the team piled up, from top players like Dach to AHL call-ups like Alex Belzile, some have begun to wonder if the team is cursed, and it’s hard not to see why.

For Dach in particular, this latest development raises obvious questions about his durability at the NHL level, and whether Montreal can rely on him to be a consistent contributor and future franchise piece, with seemingly any slight bit of physicality he receives leading to a major injury. It happened with the Chicago Blackhawks (who originally took Dach third overall in 2019) with a wrist injury suffered at the World Juniors essentially ending his 2020-21 season before it could get off the ground.

While there was hope a trade to Montreal would reignite his career, and it has to a certain degree, Dach hasn’t been healthy for long enough to make Canadiens fans and management alike confident he can be that top-line player for years to come.

Yes, injuries like this happen and it’s apart of the game, but again, if Dach can’t keep up physically in the NHL or fill out his frame to better absorb contact, what’s there to say this doesn’t happen again? It ended his season in 20-21 and also cut his time with the Habs short last season after just 59 games.

From what I’ve seen on the ice, Dach has the potential to be the kind of player who could slot right in alongside the star duo of Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki, but in order to get there, GM Kent Hughes and crew need to be certain that each time he receives contact like this, his season won’t immediately come to an end, and that’s still a question mark at this current moment, for as promising as Dach’s offensive performance has been.

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