In an interview posted Friday on NHL.com, Canadiens GM Kent Hughes said Kirby Dach is still recovering and the start of the season is in doubt. “Our hope is that he’s ready to go, either start of the season or some point early in the fall,” Hughes told the website. “But we certainly have no intention of rushing him in any way. We need to get Kirby back when Kirby is ready to be back physically and then be very mindful and careful with his return to play.”
On February 28, Dach had surgery on his right knee for a second consecutive year following another anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. The previous season, he sustained a season-ending injury when former Hab Jarred Tinordi checked him into the Chicago Blackhawks bench, tearing both his ACL and medial collateral ligament (MCL) during second game of the campaign.
The organization’s announcement indicated a full recovery before the start of the 2025-26 season. On June 26, Executive Vice President Jeff Gorton told reporters that Dach’s recovery is progressing ahead of schedule. Was there a setback?
Upcoming Decisions
Injuries have been a theme for Dach. Since his acquisition in July, 2022, he has dressed in 117 of the Canadiens 246 games. Montreal paid a steep price to acquire him from the Blackhawks in a three-way trade that included Alexander Romanov heading to the New York Islanders. They hoped that a new environment would help Dach develop into the organization’s second line centre.
The 24-year-old has not lived up to the expectation of a third overall pick from 2019 draft. Management has a decision to make as Dach is entering the final year of his contract. Is he going to become the second line centre that the organization desperately needs? If not, is there another role for him on the roster?
In the meantime, until Dach is ready to step in the lineup, Nick Suzuki, Alex Newhook, and Jake Evans will fill the role on the top three lines. Oliver Kapanen and Owen Beck are candidates to fight for the spot on the fourth line.
While Hughes does not want to rush Dach back into the lineup, the organization needs answers on Dach quickly.
Canadiens Connection Podcast
On this week’s episode of the Canadiens Connection podcast, our Rocket Sports hosts outlined management’s news about Dach’s recovery and return to play timeline. In addition, they discussed pivotal unresolved Habs issues just weeks away from training camp.
Have you missed any episodes? You can find our complete catalogue of shows here at HockeyHotStove.
