Montreal Canadiens forward Kirby Dach sustained an injury during Saturday night’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks — his former team.
And it’s worse than many thought.
After being on the wrong side of a late first-period hit made by former Canadiens defenceman Jarred Tinordi, Dach, who looked to be in discomfort, was ushered into the locker room with a “lower body” injury. The 22-year-old did not return.
Dach missed practice this morning, with head coach Martin St. Louis telling reporters that the centre is dealing with a “significant” lower-body injury.
The exact timeline of his return is not yet known, according to St. Louis, though it seems like he could be out long term.
“He’s a big-time player for us and he’s going to be missed,” St. Louis said. “We have to keep going.”
The coach mentioned that he recently spoke with Dach and that his disappointment with the situation is evident
“He’s definitely disappointed,” St. Louis said. “Second game of the season and all the time you put in to build yourself up for this – it’s hard.”
Dach’s replacement was revealed with St. Louis confirming that Alex Newhook will move to the centre position on the Habs’ second line going forward.
“[Newhook’s] going to have more responsibilities but I don’t think it’s anything he can’t handle,” St. Louis said.
“It’s not like he’s never played centre so it’s not something that worries me a lot,” he added in French, referencing Newhook’s former role with the Colorado Avalanche.
And rather than calling up a player from the Laval Rocket, it’s likely that Montreal dresses extra forward Michael Pezzetta in the team’s next game.
Last season, Dach missed a significant amount of the season due to an injury, netting 14 goals and 38 points over 58 games with the Canadiens.
Another player down, Montreal will take on Minnesota at the Bell Centre on Tuesday at 7 pm ET.
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