One part of the Kirby Dach equation was answered last week, when the Canadiens and the frequently-injured forward agreed to a one-year, US$3.6-million contract, avoiding a potential sticky arbitration case.
But, despite the signing, there remain more questions than answers moving forward.
The biggest? Will Dach still be with the team come Sept. 29, when the Canadiens launch their regular season at Toronto? While that seems likely, will he still be with Montreal come next season’s March trade deadline? Or will he be part of a bigger package required for the Canadiens to acquire that coveted second-line centre or top-six forward?
“Honestly, I feel bad for Kirby Dach, the injuries he has had,” said Chris Nilan, a regular contributor to The Gazette’s Hockey Inside/Out show. “It has been difficult for him. It’s bad enough one knee injury, then getting two.
“When you have all those injuries that can play in your head. I think it has a little bit with him. You’re a bit more guarded. You’re (not playing) as free as you once were. When you dominate in junior and you’re that big … remember Doug Wickenheiser? He dominated in junior, but with guys (in the NHL) that were relatively the same size and it was a bit of a struggle.
“What can they do with (Dach?). Until they can replace that, he’ll probably be there.”
Canadiens’ Kirby Dach heads to the bench after getting clipped by a teammate’s stick during game at the Bell Centre this past April. John Mahoney / Montreal Gazette
Nonetheless, this undoubtedly is Dach’s last chance with the Canadiens — the organization that acquired him in a July 7, 2022 trade from Chicago for a pair of draft choices that year, including a first-round pick acquired earlier that day from the N.Y. Islanders for Alexander Romanov. And now, the future is up to the 6-foot-4, 221-pounder, who is still only 25.
The Canadiens have remained patient with Dach throughout his frequent injuries — two knee surgeries and a fractured foot to begin with — over his four years with the team. Dach has missed 174 of a possible 328 regular-season games. It doesn’t take a math genius to realize Dach has missed more games than he has played.
And his production has hardly been staggering.
In his first season with Montreal, Dach played 58 games — his high-water mark with Montreal — scoring 14 goals and 24 assists. Last season, limited to 37 games, Dach produced eight goals and 15 points.
Head coach Martin St. Louis continues displaying confidence in the Blackhawks’ 2019 third-overall draft choice. Most recently, that occurred during after the second game of the opening round of the playoffs against Tampa Bay, when Dach’s lazy icing call resulted in an unnecessary faceoff deep in Montreal’s zone. Compounding matters, Dach failed to cover his man on the ensuing faceoff, allowing J.J. Moser to score the winning goal in overtime.
Despite widespread criticism that Dach should be made a healthy scratch in game 3, St. Louis stuck with him and Dach . While Dach scored four goals and added an assist in 19 playoff games, he had been reduced to a fourth-line winger role by the end of the Canadiens’ post-season run against Carolina.
Over his final nine playoff games, Dach was held without a point and had a plus/minus goal differential of minus-7. He registered no shots over his last four games against the Hurricanes.
That could be one of the many reasons the Canadiens tendered him a two-way qualifying offer — US$4 million at the NHL level but considerably less in the minors, forcing Dach to file for arbitration. If that doesn’t serve as a wake-up call, nothing will.
Fast players eventually lose their speed, but big players never get small. Dach’s problem is that, despite his size, he often doesn’t play big and appears aloof at times.
“It’s a consistency thing,” TSN analyst Frankie Corrado said. “When he does it, it’s noticeable. When he doesn’t, it’s just as noticeable in the wrong way. I think it’s more of a frequency thing than a hardness thing. I also wonder how much of that has to do with injuries? It’s counterintuitive. The more you think about it and calculate yourself around the ice, the more likely you’re going to get hurt. You have to be instinctual.
“I still do think he has a future with them because, what’s the alternative? You could not have Kirby Dach and say it’s not going to work. You have to get someone who’s better. Who’s out there who’s better you can acquire? If he’s healthy — and that’s a big if — he’s a good player. If you could find a surefire upgrade you’d do it. I just don’t know if that exists at the moment in the way their summer signings went.”
It’s often amazing what players produce on the ice in the final year of their contract, as Dach will be before he’s scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Anthony Mantha — a player some thought the Canadiens might target this summer — scored a career-high 33 goals and 64 points with Pittsburgh last season in the final year of his deal. He recently signed a two-year, US$9.5-million free-agent contract, almost doubling the US$2.5-million cap hit he had with the Penguins.
If Dach were to finally stay healthy and play to his potential this season, it would certainly increase his value and make him a potential bargaining chip in any trade the Habs would consider.
hzurkowsky@postmedia.com
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