Is Kirby Dach's future as a winger?

The Montreal Canadiens needed to make a lineup change when it was revealed that Juraj Slafkovsky would be week-to-week with an upper-body injury. If the beginning of the season had gone differently, they'd have likely called up a player from the minors or elevated a younger player from the bottom six to fill the void. However, the second line the Canadiens believed they had with Alex Newhook and Kirby Dach hadn't been playing up to par.

You can blame it on Patrik Laine's injury or on some rust forming on Dach after his missed year due to a knee injury. Regardless, the second line's inability to generate production was a massive reason for the Canadiens' struggles. Martin St. Louis felt it might be a good idea to boost Dach by putting him on the first line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield.

Dach had one assist in six games while playing the middle with Alex Newhook and Joel Armia. He was also a -8, which was a concerning stat, considering Newhook and Armia are known as more defensive forwards. It would have made sense if Dach hadn't had many points and those players weren't finishing on their chances, but to struggle defensively is a bad sign. The centerman is the anchor of a forward line's defensive unit, and Dach wasn't pulling his weight.

There is no question that playing with Caufield and Suzuki over Armia and Newhook would give a player a higher offensive ceiling. The real test for Dach would be playing on the wing on a different line when Slafkovsky returns and still excelling. St. Louis will likely give him the spot on the second line when that happens, but if he goes back to taking minutes and scoring minimal points, it'll be time to decide on his future.

It seems like an easy fix if Dach never gets comfortable in the middle. Move Dach into Newhook's spot, slide Newhook to the middle, and hope Laine's offense will unlock both players when he returns from an injury. Dach may want to play the middle, but 90% of the forwards in the league grew up playing center and had to adjust to playing wing once they started playing junior or pro. It could be time for Dach to do the same.