Canadiens Re-Sign Kirby Dach
The Montreal Canadiens have avoided salary arbitration with forward Kirby Dach. The two sides have agreed on a one-year contract with a cap hit of $3.6MM. This move will secure Dach’s spot in the lineup as he continues to work his way back into routine minutes. The 25 year old has missed 150 games – or 61 perecent of Montreal’s action – over the last three seasons.
Injuries have headlined Dach’s career in the NHL. He missed stints of the 2025-26 season with three separate injuries – three games to a lower-body injury in October, 31 games to a fractured foot in November, and 11 games to an upper-body injury in March. Those injuries continued a year-over-year streak of missing extended stints to injury that began when Dach fractured his wrist during a game at the 2021 World Junior Championships. He sustained three injuries in the 2022-23 season as well, then underwent knee surgery in both 2023-24 and 2024-25.
Extended stints outside of the lineup have capped Dach’s ability to find his footing in Montreal. He showed signs of promise in the 2022-23 season, his first with the Canadiens. After a few quiet years with the Chicago Blackhawks, Dach emerged as a strong, middle-six winger in his move to Montreal – marked by 14 goals and 38 points in 58 games before injuries in February, March, and April knocked his season off-track. That scoring pace, 0.65 points-per-game, put Dach on pace for 20 goals and 54 points across 82 games.
Dach’s scoring pace fell quickly after he missed all but two games of the 2023-24 season. He scored just 22 points in 57 games (0.39 P/GP) in 2024-25 and just 15 points in 37 games (0.41 P/GP) last season. Those dips have coincided with Dach’s slide down Montreal’s lineup – in favor of top prospect Ivan Demidov, buoying veteran Alex Newhook, and multiple additions at center. Dach averaged a career-low 13:39 in ice time last season.
The string of up-and-down potential and countless injuries left Montreal in a difficult spot with Dach this summer. He has shown signs of true promise and looks the part of a pro when he puts together long stretches of healthy play. Then again, his limited statline gave the Canadiens little to go on as they decided on a price. Facing those challenges, Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes has opted to bridge the gap – extending Dach to a commendable cap hit and walking him to unrestricted free-agency. While Montreal could have negotiated a lower cap hit, or tried to buy a year of UFA-eligibility, they’ll instead grant Dach control over his prime years after one last chance to prove that he can play a full season.
Hearing Dates Set For Players Who Filed For Arbitration
Salary arbitration hearings are a little more than a week away with a total of 15 players filing for one earlier this month. Ottawa’s Xavier Bourgault has already signed while the other 14 are still without contracts. PuckPedia has received the schedule for hearing dates, which is as follows:
July 20
D Jamie Drysdale, Flyers
F Cole Perfetti, Jets
July 22
F Trevor Zegras, Flyers
July 23
G Jet Greaves, Blue Jackets
July 25
F Connor McMichael, Blues
F Jason Robertson, Stars
July 27
F Cole Sillinger, Blue Jackets
July 28
F Nicholas Robertson, Penguins
July 29
D Braden Schneider, Rangers
D Ronan Seeley, Hurricanes
July 30
F Kirby Dach, Canadiens
F Alex Jefferies, Islanders
August 1
F Peyton Krebs, Sabres
G Akira Schmid, Panthers
Philadelphia will be busy early in the process but that is by choice, as teams can request where their players are scheduled on the arbitration docket. Conversely, teams like Montreal, Florida, and Buffalo likely requested that their players be placed at the back, allowing for more time for negotiations or planning.
A refresher on the arbitration rules:
- A player and team can settle on a deal at any point before the hearing starts.
- Once the hearing has taken place, the arbitration decision must be issued by email within 48 hours of the closing.
- Arbitration awards can only be one or two years in length; players who are in their final year of restricted free agency are only entitled to a one-year term.
- The team decides on the awarded term, as these were all player elections.
- The team can walk away from the arbitration decision if a contract with an average annual value of more than $4.9508MM is Teams have 48 hours to decide if they’ll accept or walk away.
Once a team has had all of its cases settled or awarded, a second buyout window will open up three days later. However, only a player who was on the roster at the trade deadline and has a cap charge of $4MM or more is eligible to be bought out during this 48-hour window.
15 Players Elect For Salary Arbitration
The deadline to file for salary arbitration passed at 5 P.M. ET on July 5. 15 players elected to head to arbitartion before then, including the market’s top free agent, Dallas Stars’ winger Jason Robertson. Arbitration hearings will take place between late-July and early-August. Filing for arbitration will restrict players from negotiating contracts with any other team, removing high-value RFAs like Robertson from offer sheet eligibility. Players will have the opportunity to continue negotiating with their current team and could avoid arbitration by reaching a new deal before their hearing occurs. The full list of players who filed for salary arbitration in 2026, per Chris Johnston of The Athletic, is as follows:
F Xavier Bourgault (Ottawa Senators)
F Kirby Dach (Montreal Canadiens)
D Jamie Drysdale (Philadelphia Flyers)
G Jet Greaves (Columbus Blue Jackets)
F Alex Jefferies (New York Islanders)
F Peyton Krebs (Buffalo Sabres)
F Connor McMichael (St. Louis Blues)
F Cole Perfetti (Winnipeg Jets)
F Jason Robertson (Dallas Stars)
F Nicholas Robertson (Pittsburgh Penguins)
G Akira Schmid (Florida Panthers)
D Braden Schneider (New York Rangers)
D Ronan Seeley (Carolina Hurricanes)
F Cole Sillinger (Columbus Blue Jackets)
F Trevor Zegras (Philadelphia Flyers)
Canadiens Have Discussed Kirby Dach In Trade Talks
Though the Canadiens are still in the market for a top-six forward, they’ve also discussed the possibility of dealing from their current depth group to make it happen. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports that Kirby Dach‘s name has popped up in some of the front office’s trade talks with other clubs, though likely only in a deal that sees Montreal net a center.
Dach, 25, is coming off yet another injury-plagued season. His 8-7–15 scoring line in 37 outings worked out to 0.41 points per game, a slight bump from last year’s overall production but the worst assists-per-game output of his NHL career. He struggled to produce in the playoffs as well and was dropped to a fourth-line role. His 13:39 average time on ice in the regular season was also the lowest of his career as his power-play usage wilted, although he did show some improvement in the dot for a career-high 41.4% faceoff win rate.
What the 2019 third overall pick still brings in spades is speed. Even with two right ACL tears on his injury list in the last three years, his skating has rebounded well, and his 23.42 MPH max skating speed this season sat in the 94th percentile of all skaters. As someone without a ton of defensive awareness, though, that speed doesn’t mean much if he can’t convert it into point production.
Dach is without a contract, although the Habs issued him his $4MM qualifying offer last month to retain his rights. He could very well just ink that as he risks a lower salary by drawing things out to an arbitration hearing. AFP Analytics projects he will receive only $2.225MM annually on a two-year contract. None of those potential scenarios is of real concern for the Habs, who still sit with over $14.2MM in cap space, per PuckPedia. He also still fills a depth need with no internal candidates, making a huge push for his job, and his ability to step in on the power play if needed is valuable.
Hence, don’t expect the Habs to move him for the sake of moving him. He just wrapped up the four-year, $13.45MM contract he signed with Montreal in 2022 after they sent the 13th overall pick in that year’s draft to the Blackhawks, who ended up selecting Frank Nazar, to acquire him.
The number of impact centers available isn’t high as Montreal continues its years-long pursuit for a stable second-line pivot behind Nick Suzuki. Vincent Trocheck came off the board on July 1 as the Mammoth went to bat for him, and while Dylan Larkin is still available, the list of teams he’ll accept a trade to is small, and it doesn’t appear the Habs are on it.
There are similarly-aged reclamation-project types like Morgan Frost or Shane Wright who could fit the bill, and both Calgary and Seattle would likely have some level of interest in recouping Dach to help out their forward depth in either of those swaps.
Canadiens Notes: Montembeault, Dach, Paupanekis, Kostenko
After only playing in two games after the trade deadline while being the third-string goalie after that, it looked as if Canadiens goaltender Samuel Montembeault would likely be moving on this summer. With one season left on his contract with a $3.15MM AAV, there could have been a small market for him on the trade front as a low-cost flyer. However, that may not be the outcome after all. The Athletic’s Arpon Basu reports (subscription link) that there is a willingness on the organization’s part to hold onto the 29-year-old this offseason. Doing so would allow top prospect Jacob Fowler more time to play in the minors which might be best for his development at this point. Montembeault posted a 3.43 GAA and a .873 SV% in 25 games this season but had a save percentage just above .900 in each of the previous years. If they’re considering keeping the veteran, it suggests that the team feels he could bounce back next season.
More from Montreal:
- Also from Basu’s piece, he noted that talks have not started yet with pending restricted free agent Kirby Dach. The 25-year-old is coming off another injury-riddled year, one that saw him limited to just 37 games where he had eight goals and seven assists. Dach will be owed a $4MM qualifying offer by June 29th, one that carries arbitration eligibility. His performance may not warrant that but Basu notes that the team isn’t opposed to giving it to him if his situation isn’t resolved by then.
- One of Montreal’s draft picks from last year will have a new team next season. Earlier this week, Hayden Paupanekis announced on his Instagram page that he has committed to play at St. Cloud State. The center was the 69th pick last year and spent the season with WHL Kelowna where he had 37 points in 57 games. The Rockets were the host at the Memorial Cup but he didn’t record a point in three appearances. With the transfer, his signing timeline will be extended instead of expiring next June had he stayed in junior.
- Prospect defenseman Dmitri Kostenko is also on the move. KHL Spartak announced that they’ve traded the defenseman’s rights to Amur Khabarovsk. The 23-year-old was a third-round pick by Montreal back in 2021, going 87th overall. He has yet to play in North America and spent this season playing in Slovakia’s top level, picking up 18 points in 29 games with HK Nitra. Kostenko does have some KHL experience in the past, having spent 52 games with Kunlun back in 2022-23.
Canadiens’ Kirby Dach, Alexandre Texier Cleared To Play
The Canadiens will be able to get forwards Kirby Dach and Alexandre Texier back into the lineup down the stretch if they so choose, Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports. Both were given final clearance Tuesday morning and could dress as soon as tonight against the Panthers.
Dach has been out since March 15, sustaining an upper-body injury on a hit from Ducks winger Jeffrey Viel that night. He was given a two- to four-week return timeline, so his reincorporation is right on schedule. Since there’s no roster limit after the trade deadline, there was never a need to place him on injured reserve.
Injury-plagued seasons are nothing new for Dach, who’s hit the 60-game mark just twice in his seven-year career. The 25-year-old has been limited again this season to 32 appearances, missing two months with a foot fracture earlier in the year. When dressed, he’s taken a step forward from last year’s woeful performance with an 8-6–14 scoring line and an even rating. He’s yet to reach the heights of his 14-goal, 38-point debut season with Montreal in 58 games in 2022-23, though. He tore his MCL and ACL in his right knee early in the following season and hasn’t been as effective ever since.
Now 25, the Habs will appreciate Dach’s versatility. The 6’4″, 221-lb center is comfortable on the wing as well and can play virtually anywhere in Montreal’s top nine. His defensive impacts this season are middling, logging a 48.7% Corsi share and a 49.7% expected goals share to rank around the team median in both.
Texier, 26, hasn’t played since March 24. He’s missed the last seven with a lower-body issue. Before that, he proved to be a valuable plug-and-play option. He’s been healthy scratched for stretches this season, but has eight goals and 19 points in 38 games for the Habs since signing with Montreal in November following his release from the Blues. His 0.50 points per game are tied with Mike Matheson for eighth on the team.
The Habs have already clinched a playoff berth but are still fighting to see if they can eke out home-ice advantage in the first round. The Sabres’ win over the Lightning last night put them back over Montreal for second place in the Atlantic. Montreal is two points back of both the Lightning and Sabres, who are tied for the division crown, but Tampa sits in first on points percentage with one game in hand on Buffalo. With five games left on the schedule, the Habs also have a game in hand on the Sabres that they’ll look to use to their advantage tonight against the lottery-bound Panthers.
Canadiens’ Kirby Dach Out Two To Four Weeks
The Canadiens will be without forward Kirby Dach for two to four weeks due to an upper-body injury, the team announced. That could potentially end his regular season, which ends April 14, but he should be an option at some point during the first round in the likely event Montreal secures its second straight playoff berth.
Dach only saw just over a minute of ice time in Sunday’s loss to the Ducks before taking a hard hit along the boards from Anaheim winger Jeffrey Viel. He didn’t return after that.
The 25-year-old has a laundry list of recent injuries, but most of them have been of the lower-body variety. He missed over 31 games earlier this season due to a fractured foot, and lost nearly the entirety of the 2023-24 season and the last several weeks of 2024-25 with ACL and MCL tears in his right knee. Dach has not had a fully healthy season in his seven-year NHL career and hasn’t missed under 10 games in a season since his rookie year.
That has contributed to the 2019 third overall pick, whom the Habs hoped could be a top-six staple when they acquired him from the Blackhawks in 2022, losing a ton of momentum in his development. He didn’t look like the same player at all after his ACL/MCL surgery in 2023, only notching 10 goals and 22 points in 57 games last year with a -29 rating before going under the knife again.
Dach’s two-way impacts have improved significantly this season, posting a career-best 52.0% expected goals share at even strength. That’s come in reduced ice time, though, down to 13:48 per game. He’s still generating as many shot attempts as he did on a nightly basis last season in nearly two fewer minutes of deployment while increasing his points per game, recording an 8-6–14 scoring line in 32 games.
He may not be the top-six impact piece they hoped, but he’s been a valuable complementary piece when healthy this season who can slot in virtually anywhere in Montreal’s top nine. In the interim, either Alexandre Texier or Joe Veleno will be set for a return to the lineup after sitting in the press box for the Anaheim game.
Evening Notes: Draisaitl, Dach, Nugent-Hopkins
A potentially major storyline has emerged tonight as Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl left tonight against Nashville, noted by Ryan Rishaug of TSN. The team has still yet to confirm his status, but he did not return to start the second or third period.
Early in the game Draisaitl was hit into the Predators’ bench. He stayed on his feet, but it caused a hard impact in the vulnerable lower back area. It was a routine check which Calgary native Ozzy Wiesblatt is expected to finish in his fourth line role, but naturally it was met with retaliation from Edmonton.
The 30-year-old returned momentarily, but didn’t seem right, and did not come back again, likely ending his night after just 3:12. Even in the limited time, Draisaitl buried a power play tally. It’s the norm against the Predators, as he has an unbelievable 29 goals in 31 career games against the club in gold.
Post game updates on the superstar will be watched urgently. With 96 points in 64 games, it hardly requires much analysis to speak on Draisaitl’s importance to Edmonton. In a season where things haven’t come easily for the group, he and Connor McDavid are forced to drive even more offense than normal to overcome their 231 goals surrendered; third worse in the league.
Edmonton is back in action Tuesday hosting San Jose. The team is third in the Pacific, likely to make the playoffs but still not where the back-to-back runners up would like to be by mid-March. If Draisaitl has to miss any time, their odds may swing dramatically.
Elsewhere across the league:
- The Montreal Canadiens shared mid-game that Kirby Dach would not return due to an upper-body injury. Dach absorbed a hard hit from Anaheim grinder Jeffrey Viel with an impact concentrated in the shoulder area. The 25-year-old has had to deal with various injuries throughout his Habs tenure, as he underwent knee surgery last year, along with a fractured foot last November. Dach has only managed 31 games in 2025-26, where he’s put up 14 points. A former third overall pick, he’s is still chasing his 2022-23 Canadiens debut, breaking out with 38 points in 58 games. Unfortunately it’s starting to look like Dach won’t flourish as a top six center for the storied franchise, but based on all the health issues, it’s hard to be critical. As long as Dach has avoided another serious injury, he will likely return to the playoffs for the first time since 2019-20 as a Blackhawks rookie.
- Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has returned tonight against Nashville, per the team. The 32-year-old missed last game against St. Louis due to personal reasons, the team falling in overtime without their longest tenured player. Nugent-Hopkins has missed 10 games this year, otherwise posting 50 points in 57 games, a nice improvement from last year’s 49 in total. He has been durable over the past several seasons, as 2025-26 will mark the first time he’s played in under 78 regular season games since 2021-22. Nugent-Hopkins is back on the third line, flanking center Jason Dickinson as Edmonton works to balance their attack.
Canadiens To Activate Kirby Dach From LTIR
Jan. 20th: As expected, Dach will make his much-awaited return tonight. According to Sportsnet’s Eric Engels, Dach will draw into the lineup tonight against the Minnesota Wild. The Canadiens had an open spot on the active roster, so no corresponding roster move is necessary.
Jan. 18th: Montreal Canadiens forward Kirby Dach is “very close to a return to the lineup,” and could be activated off long-term injured reserve in time for the team’s game Tuesday against the Minnesota Wild, reports Arpon Basu of The Athletic.
Dach’s impending return was signaled when he skated without restriction at practice in Ottawa. Fellow injured forward Patrik Laine also skated without restriction, though it’s unclear what his full return timeline is at this stage.
The 24-year-old suffered a fractured foot in November. He most recently played Nov. 15 against the Boston Bruins. Dach has missed 30 consecutive games as a result, with this injury (as well as an earlier lower-body ailment) limiting him to 15 games played in 2025-26.
Unfortunately, injuries have become the dominant storyline in Dach’s career not only since he arrived in Montreal, but even stretching back to his days as a top prospect with the Chicago Blackhawks.
The No. 3 pick of the 2018 draft was limited to just 18 games in his sophomore season (2020-21) due to injury, something that clearly hampered his development and helped pave his way out of Chicago.
Dach impressed early after arriving in Montreal, scoring 38 points in his first campaign as a Canadien, flashing some chemistry on the team’s top line with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield.
Injuries limited Dach to 58 games in that campaign, though, and while he looked exceptional in the first game of the 2023-24 campaign, he suffered a season-ending injury in the Canadiens’ second game of the season.
Dach returned for 2024-25, but injuries again limited his effectiveness alongside his availability. Having lost his spot next to Caufield and Suzuki to 2022 No. 1 pick Juraj Slafkovsky, Dach only managed 22 points and an injury limited him to just 57 games played.
Through 15 games of 2025-26, Dach had seven points. If he is indeed able to return to the lineup at some point soon, a significant opportunity could be in reach. While Slafkovsky had usurped Dach’s former place on the Canadiens’ top line and held it firmly, the Slovak forward has since been moved to the Canadiens’ second line, forming a deadly trio with rookies Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen.
As a result, the Canadiens have been forced to rotate several forwards in Slafkovsky’s former lineup spot alongside Suzuki and Caufield. Zachary Bolduc was tried at first, but his ineffectiveness prompted head coach Martin St. Louis to try midseason signing Alexandre Texier on that line.
Texier recently inked a two-year, $2.5MM AAV extension with the Canadiens, and has performed very well so far next to the Canadiens’ two star forwards, scoring 16 points in 27 games. That could indicate that Texier will remain next to Suzuki and Caufield for the foreseeable future. But if Texier falters at any point, Dach could be next in line to get a shot on Montreal’s top line.
If that can happen, it would be a massive opportunity for Dach to rebuild his confidence and his stock in the eyes of Canadiens decision-makers in advance of his upcoming restricted free agency.
Regardless of where he ends up playing in Montreal’s lineup, the key for Dach, arguably more than even finding a way to produce, is going to be finding a way to stay healthy. For as talented as he can be, his chronic lack of availability threatens to undercut his value proposition to NHL teams.
As a 6’4″ forward who can play center or the wing, and has the coveted combination of size and skill, he should be a player NHL teams trip over themselves to get their hands on. Injuries have, so far, kept him from achieving that status. More than anything else, Dach will need to show he can put those injuries behind him if he’s going to maximize his value as an NHL player.
Photos courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Atlantic Notes: Tkachuk, Matheson, Carlo, Canadiens
As much as he would have liked to, forward Matthew Tkachuk won’t play in the Winter Classic tomorrow for the Florida Panthers. The Panthers announced the news earlier today from team reporter Jameson Olive.
Still, it shouldn’t be too much longer for the two-time Stanley Cup champion. Tkachuk has been working his way back from a groin injury for the first half of the 2025-26 campaign, and has been skating in a non-contact jersey for the last handful of practices.
Although it won’t come in the Winter Classic, the return of Tkachuk will be a major boost to the defending Stanley Cup champions. Despite being outpaced by the red-hot Buffalo Sabres in the last few days, the Panthers are only one point back of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Returning a player of Tkachuk’s caliber, who’s scored 88 goals and 254 points in 211 regular-season contests, should help them recoup some lost ground in the standings.
Other updates from the Atlantic Division:
- The Montreal Canadiens have a little bit of a different look to their defensive core tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes. Before the game, the Canadiens announced that defenseman Mike Matheson would miss the game due to an upper-body injury, and rookie Adam Engstrom would take his spot in the lineup. Matheson’s injury has caused some controversy, as it’s likely linked to being elbowed by Panthers forward Brad Marchand in yesterday’s overtime win. Marchand was penalized on the play, but didn’t receive any supplemental discipline.
- Although they’ve lost veteran defenseman Chris Tanev for the foreseeable future, the Toronto Maple Leafs may have a different right-handed defenseman return this weekend. Earlier today, Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun highlighted in his article that Brandon Carlo could be activated from the injured reserve for Saturday’s game against the New York Islanders. Carlo, in his first full season with the Maple Leafs, has been largely disappointing this year, registering two assists in 18 games while being injured for much of the year due to lower-body concerns.
- Back in Montreal, Sportsnet’s Eric Engels provided a few injury updates on Kirby Dach and Kaiden Guhle. Engels suggested that the Canadiens are remaining cautious with Dach, who has missed the last six weeks with a fractured foot. He’s expected to return soon, but could need additional time before he’s fully ready to return. Meanwhile, Engels stated that the team is far more optimistic about Guhle, who could return when Montreal returns from their current road trip, which would be on January 7th against the Calgary Flames.