Kirby Dach’s season didn’t even last four periods.
The Canadian announced late Tuesday evening that the center player would no longer play in 2023-2024. The young man suffered tears to his anterior cruciate ligament and medial ligament, which will require him to undergo surgery. The timing of the operation has not yet been determined, since his knee is still too swollen.
Last Saturday, in the Habs’ second game this season, Dach suffered a legal check which sent him to the visiting club’s bench in the first period. It was during this sequence that his knee suffered the shock that would cost him 80 games of convalescence. He attempted to skate a few moments later, but quickly retreated to the locker room and did not play again.
Tuesday morning, he appeared in sports clothes at his team’s bench during CH’s morning training. His morale is relatively good in the circumstances, we are told, and he will remain with the club throughout the season.
Despite his young age (22), he also has a heavy history of injuries. Wrist surgery forced him to miss 38 games in 2020-21. Various health problems deprived him of 24 matches in 2022-2023. And here is this new tile today.
The Canadian, inevitably, will suffer from his absence. His absence alone is far from explaining CH’s 5-2 defeat, but an imbalance in attack was already evident.
Not hiding his disappointment, head coach Martin St-Louis admitted after the match that he did not have an immediate plan B in mind. “We don’t play before Saturday, we will have time to find a solution,” he whispered.
