What's On The Dach-et?
A healthy Kirby Dach sets sights on 2nd line centre role after injury woes
Hockey Season Is Among Us
To the dismay of many across the nation, the leaves have begun falling from the trees; signalling the end of summer. The days are getting shorter and the evening temperatures are dropping. Not to worry, folks! That’s not the only thing that’s dropping. Hockey season is a stick lengths away and we are now just 14 days away from puck drop. The Montreal Canadiens, whom last year, many experts had pegged for a lowly finish in the bottom of the rankings, managed to pull off some end of season magic to squeak their way into a playoff berth. The wildcard race in the east left many gripping the edge of their couch cushions, night and night again. Each and every game, a must win; teams played a seemingly never-ending game of musical chairs. Fans were blessed with enduring the highs and lows of playoff-style hockey well before the season’s end. Montreal had opportunities to clinch in three games, losing in regulation to the Senators, in OT to the Leafs, and losing in a shootout to a weak Blackhawks team. Finally, the Habs managed to top the Hurricanes with a 60 assist season for Lane Hutson as the cherry on top. This would be their first playoff appearance since their underdog run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2021.
Dach, selected 3rd OA to the Chicago Blackhawks, was seen as a future star, standing 6’4” with great vision, skating, playmaking abilities and a knack for puck protection. Unfortunately, the injuries, often significant, came early and often. A fractured wrist in a pre tournament game at the 2020 World Juniors required surgery, knocking him out of the tournament and most of the 20-21 season. He was limited to just 18 games. In 2021, he managed to play 70 games, putting up 9G, 17A, for 26 points but was often viewed as playing timid by analyst at the time, a sign that maybe the wrist was not quite at 100 percent. The 2022 NHL Entry Draft was held in Montreal. After picking Juraj Slafkovsky with the 1st overall selection the Canadiens sent young, rugged defenceman, Alexander Romanov and the 98th overall pick to the Islanders for the 13th overall selection. They immediately packaged that 13th pick with the 66th overall pick to acquire Fort Saskatchewan native, Kirby Dach from the Chicago Blackhawks. Before even suiting up for Le CH, Dach was signed to a 4-year, $13.45M deal. A vote of confidence. Montreal had, what they believed, to be their 2nd line centre behind captain, Nick Suzuki. Or atleast one that had all the ingredients to be just that. This would put an end to the Habs long winded battle to shore up the 1st and 2nd line centre positions. Given the history, it was a gamble. However, Kent Hughes and Geoff Gorton believed it would be one that would pay off.
Dach’s tenure with Montreal started off on a positive trend. Many fans clamoured about how Kent Hughes undoubtedly “fleeced” the Chicago Blackhawks with the move. In the first 58 games, Dach set personal bests in Goals and Assists with 14 and 24 respectively, ending the year with 38 points. Thats a healthy improvement with 10 more points in 12 less games than his best season in “The Windy City”. As we all know, things went downhill from here. The following season, Dach suffered a season ending ACL & MCL injury to his right knee in just the second game of the year. The following season, he injured the same knee and underwent surgery.
Reason For Optimism
The city of Montreal is beaming in optimism. Maybe it’s the unexpected playoff appearance? Maybe it’s a full season of young phenom, Ivan Demidov? Maybe, it’s the acquisition of a young stud by the name of Noah Dobson, fresh off of signing a long term deal in La Belle Province. Let us not forget Trois-Rivieres own, Zachary Bolduc. The rebuild has hit another milestone, and with that the expectations for the team have risen. Kent Hughes and company has made some bold moves, shoring up some weak spots in the team, but there is still a hole at 2nd line centre. We’ve heard about the rumours of Sidney Crosby and Mason MacTavish and I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t lose my mind to see Sid the Kid suit up in the bleu-blanc-rouge. However, until something happens, it’s all just speculation and I want to focus on the team we have on the ice as we speak. Up the middle we have Suzuki as a lock at first line centre, Alexander Newhook at third and Jake Evans on the 4th. So far at camp Dach has been slotted in at number two with Laine and Demidov on the flanks. Although, during scrimmages it seems Dach is not quite ready for contact as young Finnish centre, has taken that spot. Aside from any unexpected Kent Hughes magic, it seems quite apparent that Kirby Dach will be given the keys and is expected to drive that line to start the season. Dach has his sights set on being ready for game one and in the early stages of camp he has looked strong! As Habs fans we have dealt with our fair share of pain over the years and maybe it’s a little difficult to latch onto hope that Dach is able to come back from two very significant injuries to fill that highly critical role. I get it. I want all the stars to align and when I daydream about a primed and healthy Kirby Dach, I get little butterflies in the pit of my stomach. BUT, what if he gets hurt, again? Its possible, but I don't want to focus on the negatives. I want to think about the glimpses of Kirby Dach in year one with the Canadiens. The Kirby Dach that absolutely mowed over Cal Clutterbuck while carrying the puck without batting a single eyelash or losing a single stride. The Kirby Dach that drove the play, while playing with Suzuki and Caufield. I mean, lets not forget the capabilities here. I know it's been awhile, but the talent is there. The size, the stick handling, the vision, the strength, the skating is all still there. A healthy Dach is a legitimate threat and a viable option up the middle for the Canadiens 2nd line. He just needs to tie it all together and get in some consistent playing time under his belt. Will we see a healthy Dach? Time will tell.
Dach has remained very positive despite the many reasons to engulf himself in pity. He has taken the proper time and steps necessary to rehab from injury in the offseason and train. No one knows how important this season is more than the man himself. This being a contract year, it really drives that point home.
What History Tells Us
Dach is definitely not the first NHLer or athlete to endure an injury of this caliber, and he won’t be the last. What are the realistic expectations? Can he come back in top form after not playing an NHL game in 212 days? Or, does he need another season of consistent hockey to “catch-up” and maintain his original form. Is it even possible? These are the things we need to look at. I wanted to dive a little deeper here and see if this sort of thing has ever been done before. Has anyone, in particular, an NHL player, come back from these injuries in the past? If so, how did their production and play compare to previous years?
A study published by the “American Medical Society for Sports Medicine (AMES) looked at exactly that. I will link the study below for anyone interested in the scientific side of things, but to summarize, Dach’s MCL + ACL injury falls into the best case subgroup of all the multilligament knee injuries studied.
Looking back, there are a couple notable names that have been in Dach’s shoes and have come back to the NHL and contributed; one being Joe Thornton. Thornton sustained this injury at 37 years old and managed to come back in the playoffs that year and play multiple seasons after. Uwe Krupp sustained the same injury in the first game of the 1995-96 season. He returned that same year scoring 16 points in 22 playoff games. These are just a couple of examples to gain insight from. One could argue in Dach’s case, he may have the advantage of better sports medicine and recovery protocols, as well as being much younger than both Krupp and Thornton. Take from it what you will, but I choose remain optimistic as the stats show a favourable outcome.
In reality, Kent Hughes could pull off another under the radar trade for a 2nd line centre that not even the most connected insiders saw coming. For the time being, I’m on team Dach. The Montreal Canadiens are an exciting group and I cannot wait to see what the season has in store, whether I am right or wrong. What do you guys think? Can Kirby Dach make the most of this opportunity? Let us know!
Demidov-Dach-Laine Highlights from Scrimmage
Multiligament knee injuries in NHL players (AOSSM/PMC study).
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