The Montreal Canadiens have cooled off from their hot start. They have lost five of the last six games, while also seeing Alex Newhook and Kaiden Guhle go down with injuries. The Canadiens have another injury to worry about, as Kirby Dach is expected to miss at least a month with a foot injury.
According to NHL insider Frank Seravalli, Dach is going to miss 4-6 weeks with a fractured foot. Dach was injured in the game with the Boston Bruins on Saturday, a 3-2 loss for the Canadiens. The Canadian forward had been solid this year, scoring five times while adding two assists in 15 games. He had also scored four goals in the last six games.
Dach was the No. 3 overall pick of the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2019 NHL Draft. He made his NHL debut during the 2019-20 season. Still, injuries have been a major part of the career for the young forward. In 2020-21, he was limited to just 18 games due to a wrist injury. He would then play in 70 games the next season, before being traded in the offseason.
In his first season with the Canadiens, he missed 16 games to a lower-body injury, and then another eight with an upper-body injury to end the season. In the 2023-24 campaign, he tore his ACL and MCL playing in just two games. He reinjured that same knee in 2024-25 and missed 25 games.
Now, Dach will miss more time, which will result in the Canadiens changing the line-up. Dach has been on the second line with Oliver Kapanen and Ivan Demidov. It is expected that Kapanen will move from center to the wing, and Zack Bolduc will take the second line center spot.
The Canadiens are now 10-6-2 on the year, which places them second in the Atlantic Division. They will hit the ice again on Monday night, visiting the Columbus Blue Jackets.
