For now, it looks like Kirby Dach will be a Montreal Canadiens player next season. After Dach shockingly filed for salary arbitration because the Canadiens extended him a two-way qualifying offer, the two have agreed on a one-year, one-way $3.6 million extension. The deal was agreed to before their scheduled arbitration hearing, which would have taken place on July 30th. Dach has missed 174 games out of a possible 328 since joining the Canadiens, which allowed Montreal to offer the two-way qualifying offer. Despite getting a deal done, this does not clear up Dach’s future, who will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season. Dach will look to prove to the Canadiens and other teams that will be vying for his services at the end of the season that he can be healthy and consistently productive on the ice, something he has yet to show during his NHL career.
Yet another injury-riddled season for Dach in 2025-26
Dach was looking to put the injury problems to rest last season after missing the second half of the 2024-25 season due to a knee injury. He started this past season on a high note, recording five goals and two assists in the Canadiens first 15 games, but then disaster struck once again. In a game against the Boston Bruins on November 15th, Dach suffered a fracture in his foot, which caused him to miss 31 games. Once he returned, it would not be long before he was out of the lineup again, missing 11 games due to an upper-body injury. In total, he played in 37 games this season, recording eight goals and seven assists.
In the playoffs, it looked like his luck was about to make a turn for the better. After being heavily criticized for how Game 2 against the Tampa Bay Lightning ended, he responded in a big way in Game 3. Dach had a goal and an assist as the Canadiens beat the Lightning 3-2, taking a 2-1 series lead. Together with Zachary Bolduc and Alexandre Texier, they formed one of the Canadiens best lines in that series, but Dach would see his role reduced after they defeated the Lightning in 7 games. In the series against the Buffalo Sabres and the Carolina Hurricanes, Dach was mainly deployed on the team’s fourth line and was not much of a factor, raising questions about his future with the Canadiens.
Contract extension does not clarify Dach’s future
Dach was originally brought in to one day be the Canadiens' second-line centre, and so far, that has not worked out as envisioned. The injuries have halted his development, which has stopped him from showing his true potential that came along with being the 3rd overall pick. With Dach’s extension being just one year, it allows him to test free agency next season, able to sign anywhere he chooses without having to send compensation back to the Canadiens. Clearly, the Canadiens do not believe Dach can be healthy for an entire season, or they would not have offered him a two-way qualifying offer. That move could be enough to damage the relationship between the two sides.
Even though both sides have agreed to a contract extension, that does not mean Dach will be around for the long haul. It is probably just as likely that he finishes out the year with the Canadiens as it is for him to be traded before next season's trade deadline. Montreal is looking for upgrades in the forward group, and with Dach being a potential unrestricted free agent at the end of next season, he would likely be the first name added to a trade before they lose him for nothing in the offseason. A lot can happen before the start of the season, but as it stands, Dach will be starting the season as a Canadiens player.
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