The Montreal Canadiens have hopes of Kirby Dach filling the second-line center role, but that may not happen.
Montreal made a big move to acquire Dach in 2022 from the Chicago Blackhawks to fill the second-line center role. He was selected third overall, and he was poised to be a key part of the future. However, he has dealt with injuries, and last season, he underwent knee surgery in February, which ended his season.
Although Dach had the surgery months ago, all signs pointed to him being healthy for training camp. However, according to Maxime Truman of DansLesCoulisses, Dach is still not recovered and likely will miss the start of training camp.
“Five months after his most recent knee surgery and about forty days before the start of training camp, Kirby Dach is still not recovered and ready to play,” Truman wrote.
Although there is still over a month until training camp, Truman reports that it’s unlikely Dach will begin the season.
“Let’s just say that the chances of Dach starting the season at the same time as everyone else is two months are still pretty slim, which is enough to worry those hoping to see the Canadiens make the playoffs in 2026,” Truman added.
Dach is entering the final year of his four-year $13.45 million deal with the Canadiens.
Canadiens Front Office Had Bold Comments to Dach
Dach was supposed to be an impact player for the Canadiens, but he has struggled to stay healthy.
After the Canadiens were eliminated from the playoffs, Montreal’s Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations, Jeff Gorton, said Dach needs to have a good camp to prove he can be an impact player.
“Obviously he’s had two really tough years and two tough injuries here, so we’re going to have to see how he responds this summer to the rehab and going through this again,” Gorton said. “There’s certainly a place for him in our lineup; it’s going to be up to him to decide where that’s going to be. He has size, he’s competitive, he’s got skill.
“He’s a very talented player. So, I think a lot is in the balance of how his summer goes. I think a lot, unfortunately, is just going to be what kind of summer he has and what kind of start he has to camp. He’s going to need a big camp to get himself going and get started early,” Gorton added.
Dach skated in 57 games, recording 10 goals and 12 assists for 22 points last season with the Canadiens. In three seasons with Montreal, he’s only played in 117 games, averaging just 39 games a season.
Canadiens Add Center Depth
With Dach’s status up in the air, Montreal did add some center depth this offseason.
The Canadiens acquired Zachary Bolduc, who’s mostly a winger but can play center if needed. But Motral did sign Joe Veleno to be a bottom-six center, but his role could increase if Dach is injured.
Currently, Dach projects to be the Canadiens’ second-line center. However, if he does miss the start of the season, Montreal could look to acquire another center to replace him.
The Canadiens’ starting centers project to be Nick Suzuki, Dach, Alex Newhook, and Jake Evans.
Canadiens Reportedly Get Bad News on Health Status of $13.45M Center