Canadiens fans are starting to get fed up with Kirby Dach

Losing the support of the Montreal Canadiens fanbase is a challenging position for any player. We've talked about giving Kirby Dach a grace period after missing all of last season with an injury, but it's quickly getting to a point where he needs to step up. There was only so much time before the fanbase's opinion began to turn, and that is quickly happening.

Dach's recent play even prompted Stephane Leroux to voice his displeasure by comparing the situation to a particular Original Six rival. Jim Montgomery has recently sat David Pastrnak on the bench for full periods for his play with the Boston Bruins, and Leroux is perplexed as to why Martin St. Louis hasn't done the same with Dach.

Social media is a good judge of the fan base's views on most things, and Dach's name pops up after seemingly every game now. One X account had an outlandish take that he hasn't seen Dach win a single puck battle this season. It isn't accurate, but it's becoming painfully apparent that he'll lose more than he wins.

It's unfair to say that Dach is afraid while on the ice. However, there may be some truth that he's refusing to dig in as much as he can to keep himself healthy. As the old saying goes, the best ability is availability, and Dach hasn't been available consistently for his teams since joining the NHL. Dach has to have concerns that another injury would be detrimental to his trust around the league and the future of his career.

So, the question is, how long the Canadiens can wait for Dach to come around? As we mentioned, it's past the point of giving him the injury grace period. It's coming close to the Canadiens needing to find a new second-line center of the future, if that hasn't happened already. Is Michael Hage the heir apparent? Or do the Canadiens need to go outside their roster to find the replacement? Either way, it'll take a massive improvement for Dach to win back the favor of the fans.