The 2024 year was supposed to be different for the Montreal Canadiens. They believed their rebuild was starting to end, and they wondered whether 2024 would end with them looking ahead to a run at the playoffs in 2025. The year ended with a string of wins that elevated them to sixth place in the Atlantic Division, but they are still seven points behind in a playoff race. This series will examine how each player performed over the 2024 calendar year. Next up is injury-plagued forward Kirby Dach.
Dach hasn't had the best 2024, as he missed the second-half of last season with a knee injury that sidelined him for 80 of 82 games in 2023-24. Canadiens fans had plenty of excitement for his return and hoped that he'd find the form that made him a top prospect at one point in his career.
You had to expect that he'd be slow returning from the serious knee injury, but fans really thought he'd be over it by now. The reality is that Dach is either taking longer to get back to 100% than people expected, or the way he is currently playing is the extent of his ceiling.
Dach has just 11 points in 35 games this season, and the Canadiens have been on a search to find him the perfect line. Many hoped and wondered if the return of Patrik Laine from his knee injury would give Dach another option and help his play, but it hasn't been the most perfect fit.
The new line of Dach, Laine, and Alex Newhook got hot against the Florida Panthers on December 27, and Dach scored two goals with help from Newhook. The issue is that all three have been known to be inconsistent, so it's hard to believe they can carry that success over into 2025 and beyond. Nevertheless, it's an encouraging development to begin the year.
Kirby Dach's 2024 Highlights
An easy highlight for Dach was his return to the ice and the lineup after his lengthy absence. It hasn't been all good news for him since returning, but the organization isn't ready to give up on him yet.
KIRBY DACH! 🚨
— NHL (@NHL) December 28, 2024
He's got his second goal of the afternoon! pic.twitter.com/LmTY2zgLry
The previously-mentioned two-goal performance against the Panthers was his best performance of 2024, and it gave people much hope for the franchise's future, as Jakub Dobes turned out an unbelievable shutout in his NHL debut.