Canadiens’ Kirby Dach Nearing Recovery From Knee Surgery
Canadiens center Kirby Dach practiced in full gear during an informal skate today as he skates off the rust following yet another extensive knee surgery back in February, per Marc-Olivier Cook of Dans Les Coulisses.
Montreal never issued a specific recovery timeline for the 24-year-old after he had the surgery, just that he wouldn’t return in 2024-25. There was never any official word on whether he was expected to be ready for training camp, either, so today’s news is the first real indication of his progress in more than six months.
The Habs acquired the 2019 No. 3 overall pick from the Blackhawks in 2022, hoping that he could be a long-term second-line option behind captain Nick Suzuki. While he spent a good portion of his first season in Montreal on the wing, early returns were at least strong with 38 points in 58 games.
His first major knee injury came just two games into 2023-24, tearing his ACL and MCL in his right knee simultaneously. That threw away the rest of the season, and the extended time off certainly showed when he returned to action for 2024-25. He spent more time down the middle with more limited offensive output – 10 goals and 22 points – in 57 games before the second right knee injury ended that year as well.
Canadiens EVP Jeff Gorton said during exit meetings that the team still had hope in Dach, but certainly wasn’t banking on him returning to a top-six role out of the gate this fall after another lengthy absence. They may not have much of a choice, though. Montreal didn’t make any significant moves at forward this summer besides losing depth veteran Christian Dvorak and acquiring promising youngster Zachary Bolduc from the Blues in exchange for defense prospect Logan Mailloux. Bolduc played center in his junior days but has only seen time on the wing through his two NHL seasons in St. Louis. After scoring 36 points in 72 games last year, though, he would be their best option as a No. 2 pivot from the standpoint of last year’s offensive output if he can make the adjustment.
Canadiens Notes: Hutson, Laine, Free Agents, Dach
Lane Hutson put up historic numbers in his rookie season, and the Canadiens will look to capitalize on that by discussing a long-term extension as he enters the final season of his entry-level contract, general manager Kent Hughes said today (writes Marco D’Amico of RG). He’s not eligible to put pen to paper on a deal until July 1, but doing so immediately would prevent Hutson from a potentially testy ride through restricted free agency in 2026 and allow the Habs to achieve long-term cost certainty before he potentially increases his value in his sophomore campaign.
Hutson’s likely Calder-winning campaign needs no introduction. The 5’9″ defenseman exploded for 66 points in all 82 regular-season games, tying Lightning star Victor Hedman for sixth in the league in scoring among rearguards and leading all rookies in scoring. Not only does that make him the highest-scoring rookie defenseman in Montreal’s 107-year NHL history, but his 60 assists also tied Larry Murphy for most by a first-year blue liner.
Regardless of when they reach an extension, it’s a foregone conclusion they won’t be able to keep him under the internal salary hierarchy they stuck to when negotiating star winger Cole Caufield‘s eight-year extension two summers ago. They’ve yet to sign a deal eclipsing captain Nick Suzuki‘s $7.875MM cap hit since he signed that deal in 2021. Patrik Laine is technically the team’s highest-paid player at an $8.7MM cap hit, but they acquired that contract via trade. After seeing youngsters like Flames winger Matthew Coronato land a long-term deal at $6.5MM annually, Hughes will almost certainly have to go into the $8-9MM range on a new deal for Hutson.
There’s more on the Canadiens:
- While it wasn’t a glowing end to the season for Laine, Hughes credits his impact earlier in the year as instrumental in Montreal’s postseason berth (per D’Amico). The 27-year-old managed 20 goals and 33 points in 52 games after a quicker-than-expected return from a preseason knee injury, but 75% of his goals and 63% of his points came on the power play. His 5-on-5 possession numbers were among the worst on the club with a 43.0 CF% and led to diminished usage in Games 1 and 2 of their first-round series against the Capitals before a broken finger sidelined him for the final three games of their season.
- Hughes hasn’t made a decision either way on whether to pursue contract extensions with the team’s slate of pending unrestricted free agents, notes D’Amico. Luckily for him, he doesn’t have many of those decisions to make. One has already been made for him on defenseman David Savard, who announced his retirement. The comprehensive list of others includes NHL-rostered forwards Joel Armia, Christian Dvorak, and Michael Pezzetta; minor-league centers Alex Barré-Boulet and Brandon Gignac; and depth netminder Connor Hughes.
- The Canadiens “haven’t given up” on 24-year-old center Kirby Dach after a second major procedure on his right knee in as many years, D’Amico writes. Nonetheless, he relays executive vice president Jeff Gorton “didn’t look overly confident” when discussing Dach and notes he’ll need an eye-opening training camp to regain a top-six role. After playing just twice in the 2023-24 campaign, Dach’s performance wasn’t pretty in 2024-25 before the knee injury ended his campaign in February. He scored 22 points with a team-worst -29 rating in 57 games.
Canadiens’ Kirby Dach Undergoes Knee Surgery, Out For Season
Canadiens forward Kirby Dach will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery on his right knee, the team announced today.
It’s the same knee that Dach needed surgery on in October 2023, when a hit from then-Blackhawks defenseman Jarred Tinordi caused an ACL and MCL tear and ended his season midway through his second appearance. He returned fully healthy for training camp in the fall, which Montreal said they expect to happen again this time.
Dach, 24, had been healthy all season before leaving last Saturday’s game against the Senators. He’d already sat out two contests with the injury before undergoing surgery. He hasn’t yet landed on injured reserve, but he will if Montreal needs additional roster flexibility ahead of next Friday’s trade deadline.
While uninterrupted until now, Dach’s 2024-25 campaign wasn’t one to write home about. The 2019 No. 3 overall pick ends his campaign with 10-12–22 in 57 games along with a career-worst -29 rating. His 0.39 points per game were a far cry from his 0.66 in the 2022-23 campaign, his first in Montreal after they acquired him from the Blackhawks for a pair of draft picks (the higher of which became Frank Nazar for Chicago).
The 6’4″ pivot did record a career-high 100 hits this year, but that’s more indicative of his newfound possession struggles than anything else. His 44.8 CF% at even strength was the worst of his career by far despite receiving the most advantageous offensive deployment of his young career. Dach’s 34.9 GF% at 5v5 is the worst among Canadiens skaters with at least 15 games played, per Natural Stat Trick, despite his 149 offensive zone starts leading the club.
A natural center, Dach has also consistently struggled in the faceoff dot since debuting with Chicago immediately in his post-draft season. His subpar 40.3 FOW% this year matched a career-high, leading Montreal head coach Martin St. Louis to deploy him on the wing more consistently. His most common linemates this year were Patrik Laine and Alex Newhook, the latter of whom has settled in as the Habs’ second-line center behind captain Nick Suzuki for the time being. That could change soon, though, as rookie Owen Beck has seen deployment in Dach’s place since being recalled earlier this week and has won 15 of his 28 draws this year. He recorded his first NHL point, an assist, in yesterday’s overtime win over the Sharks.
A second knee surgery in a year and a half rightfully calls Dach’s long-term standing in the organization into question. His first procedure stalled his initial breakout in Montreal, and his negative impacts this season post-surgery are clear. Whether he can get himself back on track to becoming a top-six-caliber player after going under the knife again remains to be seen.
Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Canadiens Recall Owen Beck
The Canadiens have recalled center prospect Owen Beck from AHL Laval, per a team announcement. They have an open roster spot and don’t need to make a corresponding transaction. The team said there is an injury-related motivation for his recall, though – Kirby Dach is being evaluated for a lower-body injury and won’t participate in today’s practice.
Montreal selected Beck from the Ontario Hockey League’s Mississauga Steelheads with the first pick of the second round in the 2022 draft. While he signed his entry-level contract in October of that year, it just came into effect for 2024-25 after he spent two post-draft campaigns on loan back to the OHL.
That means the 21-year-old Beck is in his first professional season, which has already included six NHL appearances with the Habs over the past two months. While he made his NHL debut in January 2023 amid a championship-winning campaign in juniors, this year marks his first multi-game run in the pros.
His adjustment to the next level has been smooth. After a pair of seasons above a point per game to close the book on his major junior career, the two-way pivot ranks second on Laval in scoring with 13-19–32 in 47 appearances. His +11 rating ranks third, helping fuel the success of a Laval club projected to finish second in the North Division behind the Sabres’ farm club in Rochester. Beck has yet to record his first NHL point and averaged just 9:45 per game across his sextet of appearances over the past few weeks. He went 11-for-21 on draws and averaged one shot on goal per game with 13 hits and positive possession impacts, so he’s making his presence known outside of the box score as most expected, given his intelligent play style.
If Dach can’t play tomorrow against the Hurricanes, Beck will likely enter the lineup in a fourth-line role while rumored trade chip Jake Evans sees his minutes elevated. The oft-injured Dach has managed to appear in all 57 games for the Habs this year. He’s struggled in extended top-six deployment, though, posting just 10-12–22 with a team-worst -29 rating. His possession numbers back up the allegations of poor defensive play – his 44.8 CF% at even strength is higher than only Patrik Laine and David Savard among active Montreal skaters this season.
Atlantic Notes: Barkov, Fischer, Dach, Ullmark
The return of the Florida Panthers’ captain is imminent. Colby Guy of The Associated Press reported earlier that Aleksander Barkov resumed skating this morning although he did not participate in the full practice.
Barkov is dealing with a lower-body injury suffered in Florida’s game against the Ottawa Senators on October 10th. Imaging at the time confirmed that Barkov did not have a fractured ankle putting his recovery timeline around two weeks. Given that it’s already been a week since the initial injury diagnosis, Barkov is still on pace to return later next week.
The Panthers haven’t struggled much in Barkov’s absence with a 3-2-0 record in five contests. They line up against the struggling Vancouver Canucks with a chance to take an early lead in a competitive Atlantic Division.
Other Atlantic notes:
- According to a team announcement, forward Christian Fischer will return to the ice tonight for the Detroit Red Wings as they take on the New York Rangers. Fischer has skated in two of a possible three games posting no points while averaging 9:02 minutes of ice time per game. He left the organization’s game against the Nashville Predators late in the first period but the upper-body injury proved mild.
- There are no long-term concerns for Montreal Canadiens’ forward Kirby Dach after missing the team’s practice yesterday. The organization announced Dach was a full participant at practice this morning and he will play down the middle on the team’s second line tonight alongside Alex Newhook and Joel Armia. Dach has tallied one assist in four games entering tonight’s action.
- Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark is poised on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Lightning even though he did not start tonight against the New Jersey Devils. TSN’s Bruce Garrioch reported earlier that Ullmark participated in the team’s practice this morning and appears mostly recovered from a mild sprain that has prohibited him from playing in the last two games.
Atlantic Notes: Canadiens-Senators, Guhle, Red Wings
No supplemental discipline is expected after a flurry of controversial hits and injuries in last night’s Canadiens-Senators preseason tilt, reports Sportsnet’s Eric Engels.
The fireworks started late in the first period when Ottawa forward Ridly Greig elevated his arms to lay a blindside hit on Montreal center Kirby Dach, receiving an interference minor and briefly knocking him out of the game. Dach would return, but that didn’t stop Habs defender Arber Xhekaj from charging Sens star Tim Stützle with a similar hit midway through the second period, earning himself an interference major and a game misconduct. He also received matching minors with Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk after the play. Neither Stützle nor Tkachuk returned to the contest with upper-body injuries, per the team.
Dach and Greig brawled during the third after the former returned to the game. Both players received fighting majors and 10-minute misconducts. Dach also received an extra minor for interference on the play. The Xhekaj hit on Stützle was likely most prone to a potential suspension. Still, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety believes the game misconduct assessed on the play was appropriate on its own.
More from the Atlantic Division:
- Staying with Montreal, defenseman Kaiden Guhle is skating in a regular jersey at Wednesday’s practice, per Engels. It’s the first time he’s done so since having his appendix removed at the beginning of training camp. The 2020 16th overall pick signed a six-year, $33.3MM extension to remain a Canadien for the long haul in July, but he’ll still play out this season under the final year of his entry-level contract. The Edmonton native has quickly established himself as a top-four defender, averaging 20:51 per game last season and adding 22 points (6 G, 16 A) with a -8 rating in 70 contests.
- Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde is “very impressed” with how forward prospects Nate Danielson, Marco Kasper, and Carter Mazur have performed in training camp, he told The Athletic’s Max Bultman. “They’ve kind of played into my optimistic vision of them,” he added. “I like all three. I think I’ve stated that quite a bit over the last year, year and a half, and they’ve done nothing to disappoint.” The trio are still long shots to make the opening night roster with some crowded roster math working against them, but it’s clear they’ll be at the top of the list for in-season call-ups and should each get at least a few NHL reps this year.
Atlantic Notes: Newhook, Dach, Panthers, Khaira
Expect Alex Newhook to start the season on the wing on the Canadiens’ second line centered by Kirby Dach and flanked by Patrik Laine, says Eric Engels of Sportsnet. It may not be a long-term fit, though, as Engels cautions not to be “surprised if there’s a bit of a revolving door next to Dach and Laine as the season rolls along.” Regardless of who plays with them, early signs point to Dach shifting to center after spending a good portion of his first season in Montreal, the 2022-23 campaign, on the wing. The 23-year-old forward missed all but two games last season after tearing his ACL and MCL in his right knee.
There’s more out of the Atlantic:
- The Panthers will dip their toes into the professional tryout market soon, says David Dwork of The Hockey News. They’re on the lookout for a veteran forward, likely to compete to help replace the departures of fourth-liners Nick Cousins, Steven Lorentz, Kyle Okposo, and Kevin Stenlund over the past few months. Notable UFAs left to fill those roles that haven’t landed PTOs elsewhere include Pierre-Édouard Bellemare, Cal Clutterbuck, Matt Martin, and Chris Tierney.
- Jujhar Khaira‘s streak of appearing in an NHL game for the last nine seasons is in jeopardy after settling for an AHL contract today with the Lightning’s affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. Khaira, 30, was once a regular bottom-six presence for the Blackhawks and Oilers around the turn of the decade but was relegated to an AHL role last season after signing a two-way deal with the Wild, making just one NHL appearance for Minnesota early in the season. In 22 games with the Iowa Wild, his first minor league action since the 2016-17 campaign, he scored five goals and added 13 assists for 18 points. His AHL deal with the Crunch could include a PTO with the Lightning, allowing him to participate in NHL training camp and attempt to earn a two-way contract with Tampa.
East Notes: Jiricek, Dach, Czarnik, Mazur
While Blue Jackets defenseman David Jiricek is eligible to be sent to the minors which would allow the team more time to decide whether or not they should burn the first year of his entry-level deal, Chris Johnston of The Athletic reports (subscription link) that the blueliner is expected to remain with the big club through his tenth game. Doing so means that he would officially burn the first season of his entry-level contract. The 19-year-old has two points in eight games so far this year in Columbus while logging a little under 14 minutes a night. His presence on the roster means that two rearguards (Andrew Peeke and Adam Boqvist) are on the outside looking in but it appears that will be the case for the foreseeable future.
Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:
- The Canadiens announced that center Kirby Dach underwent successful knee surgery today. Dach sustained a season-ending torn ACL and MCL in Montreal’s second game of the season earlier this month while playing against Chicago, his former team. Surgery was delayed until today to allow the swelling to go down. Dach is expected to be fully recovered in time for training camp next fall.
- CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that the Red Wings have assigned forward Austin Czarnik to AHL Grand Rapids. The 30-year-old has played in eight games this season, picking up a single assist while logging just under 10 minutes a game. The move puts Detroit at just 18 healthy skaters which isn’t likely viable so a recall – likely Czarnik – will come in advance of Thursday’s game against Florida. Once Czarnik plays in ten games or is on the roster for 30 days, he’ll need to clear waivers again so this transaction stops the clock on the latter counter for now.
- Still with Detroit, the Red Wings announced that they have activated forward Carter Mazur from season-opening injured reserve and assigned him to Grand Rapids. The 21-year-old suffered a lower-body injury in the opening game of Detroit’s prospect tournament back in September. Mazur spent most of last season in college with Denver but managed to get in six games with the Griffins down the stretch where he had six points. Because Mazur wasn’t on Detroit’s roster last season, there was no cap charge for his SOIR placement.
Canadiens’ Kirby Dach Out Long-Term With Lower-Body Injury
4:04 PM: It has been reported that Dach suffered a torn ACL and MCL in his knee. He will undergo further testing to officially determine the injury soon.
10:39 AM: Montreal Canadiens forward Kirby Dach is expected to miss “significant” time with a lower-body injury, Sportsnet’s Eric Engels reports. Dach sustained the injury in Saturday’s win against the Chicago Blackhawks after he was on the receiving end of a large hit from Blackhawks defenseman Jarred Tinordi.
Dach, 22, looks like a future top-six fixture for the Habs – if he can stay healthy. He recorded 14 goals, 24 assists and 38 points in 58 games in 2022-23 – his first season in Montreal – a career-high pace of 54 points in a full season. The 2019 third-overall pick of the Chicago Blackhawks logged two assists through his first two games this season, but it appears he’ll need to wait a while to add to that total.
Dach missed 16 games at the tail end of last season with another lower-body injury. In his absence, another young forward on the cusp of a breakout, Alex Newhook, will center the team’s second line. Montreal acquired Newhook from the Colorado Avalanche this summer in exchange for a first- and second-round pick as well as defense prospect Gianni Fairbrother.
Montreal hopes this isn’t a sign of things to come. The team lost over 600 man-games to injury last season, believed to be an NHL all-time record. For a team hyper-focused on the development of their young core, this is far from an ideal situation.
With Dach out of the lineup, look for the Habs to place him on injured reserve and make a corresponding recall of a forward from AHL Laval. They now have just 12 healthy forwards on the roster.
Injury Updates: Dach, Hall, Buchnevich, Merzļikins
Montreal Canadiens forward Kirby Dach left last night’s contest against the Chicago Blackhawks with a lower-body injury, according to an announcement from the club. Dach was the recipient of a big hit from Blackhawks defenseman Jarred Tinordi, one that sent Dach into the Blackhawks’ bench. It appears as though Dach’s injury came from that hit, and at this moment the team has not released any additional details on Dach’s absence.
Should the Canadiens lose Dach for any notable period, it would be a significant early blow to the team’s season. Not only would it represent an unfortunate setback given the time Dach missed last season, it would also represent a significant loss to the Canadiens’ ability to both win games and develop their players. As head coach Martin St. Louis’ second-line center, Dach had a crucial role helping the growth of his two wingers: offseason trade acquisition Alex Newhook and 2022 first overall pick Juraj Slafkovský. In an admittedly small sample size that line appeared dominant at times, and the one game they played entirely together was called Slafkovský’s best game of his career by local media. The development of those players is of the most important aspect of this Canadiens season, so whether Dach’s injury will keep him out long-term is an extremely important storyline to track for Canadiens fans.
- Chicago Blackhawks forward Taylor Hall told the media today, including the Chicago Sun-Times’ Ben Pope, that he’s preparing to play Monday night in Toronto against the Maple Leafs. Such a return would represent a quick turnaround for Hall, who suffered a shoulder injury in the Blackhawks’ second game of the season, against his former team the Boston Bruins. Hall said that although his shoulder still “doesn’t feel great” it’s good enough to allow him to return to the lineup.
- Earlier today, we covered reports out of St. Louis stating that Blues star forward Pavel Buchnevich could be staring down an extended absence due to the injury he suffered last night. NHL.com’s Lou Korac relays word from Blues head coach Craig Berube who said Buchnevich is feeling better today. Korac added that the tone surrounding the injury “sounds more encouraging” than it did last night, adding that the Blues “may have dodged serious injury” to Buchnevich, which would be incredible news for St. Louis.
- Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Pascal Vincent said via team reporter Jeff Svoboda that netminder Elvis Merzļikins “has a stomach bug” and missed today’s practice after leaving last night’s game. Per Vincent, Merzļikins’ status for tonight’s game is in question, and as a result, Spencer Martin (who saved 15 of 17 shots last night in relief against the New York Rangers) could start his first game as a Blue Jacket tomorrow night when the team hosts the Detroit Red Wings.