(Brossard) Forward Kirby Dach suffered a “significant injury” and will be out long term, but no one at the Montreal Canadiens is already afraid of going through the same process as the last two seasons in terms of injuries.
A Habs spokesperson did not offer further details regarding the nature of Dach’s injury on Monday, but confirmed that it was a significant injury and that the player will be out for a good while.
Dach appeared to be injured in the first period of Saturday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks, when he was hit by Jarred Tinordi and almost fell onto the visitors’ bench. He headed to the locker room a few moments later and did not return to the game.
“It was a hockey game,” said Canadiens head coach Martin St-Louis, not attributing any bad intentions to Tinordi for his gesture. He hit “Dacher”. “Dacher” stood up so as not to be crushed against the tape.
“I can’t say it was intentional,” he insisted.
Dach’s condition continues to be evaluated and the team is expected to offer more information regarding a timeline in the coming days.
Dach had two assists in the season opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He had 14 goals and 24 assists in 58 games last season, his first with the Canadiens.
He seemed able to continue his momentum after looking good throughout camp.
“After every game in the preparatory calendar and since the start of the season, I told myself as I left the arena that Dach had been good tonight. It’s a good feeling for a coach, said St-Louis. It was only a small sample, but I saw signs of maturity in his game in terms of consistency. »
St. Louis and players interviewed who had spoken to Dach since Sunday or Monday morning said the 22-year-old Albertan was frustrated with the situation.
Dach missed 24 games late last season with a lower body injury and then an upper body injury. He was limited to 18 games in 2020-21, when he played for the Blackhawks, due to a wrist injury.
“It’s the worst thing that can happen to you,” said veteran Brendan Gallagher. You take care of yourself and you make sacrifices during the summer to get in the best shape of your life. That’s what Kirby had done and he was looking forward to the new season. »
Alex Newhook will be moved to the center of the second line in relief of Dach.
The loss of Dach represents very bad news for the Canadian, but St-Louis and the players reminded that this did not mean that it was the start of another wave of injuries within the team.
The Habs last season beat their record set the previous campaign for games missed due to injuries, according to the specialist site mangameslost.com.
“I don’t even try to think about that,” St-Louis insisted. I don’t tell myself that it’s gone again because it’s negative energy and I don’t want to let it come back here. »
The Canadian officially has four players on the sidelines currently – Dach, Christian Dvorak, Chris Wideman and Carey Price. At this time last year, the infirmary already had two more clients. It was especially from January that things took off, with nine players on the sidelines at the same time.
“There were nights last year when there seemed to be more guys on the catwalk than on the ice! It made it difficult, Gallagher admitted. There we lost an important player, but we have guys to replace him. And it’s up to everyone to raise their level of play.”
The Habs will host the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday evening at the Bell Centre.
