Kirby Dach Is Finally Showing What the Canadiens Saw in Him

Kirby Dach’s NHL career has been enigmatic. Selected third overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2019, plagued by injury, then traded to the Montreal Canadiens as a reclamation project, he arrived with questions about durability, consistency, and commitment. Heading into these playoffs, that uncertainty set the stage. Then everything changed.

In Game 2 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, a defensive mistake by Dach led directly to J.J. Moser’s overtime winner. The reaction in Montreal was immediate and harsh: calls to bench him and remove him from the lineup entirely. Dach deactivated his Instagram account after the overly harsh online criticism. For a moment, it felt like the latest and perhaps final chapter of a frustrating story.

Then Martin St. Louis did what great coaches do: he saw something everyone else had stopped looking for. St. Louis moved Dach from wing to centre, and built a new line with Alexandre Texier and Zachary Bolduc for Game 3.

“They put Dach up on the jumbotron in warmups, and he felt the love from the fans,” said defenceman Arber Xhekaj, “and he gave it right back with that performance.” Dach scored and added an assist. The line combined for six points. More importantly, it worked; gritty, physical, smart hockey from three players who had each dealt with their own versions of frustration in Montreal.

The Redemption Arc Took Shape

Game 5 in Tampa added another chapter to this playoff story. Dach skated down the left side, went around a defender, lost the puck, kicked it from his skate to his stick, and scored. This improvised brilliance, awareness, hands, and persistence cannot be coached. That line of Texier, Dach, and Bolduc became a quiet reason Montreal survived a grinding, one-goal series. Their contribution may have been decisive.

Then, in Game 1 against the Buffalo Sabres, down 4-2 late in the second period, Dach picked up a neutral-zone turnover, showed patience dragging the puck around a sliding defenceman, had his shot stopped, and then backhanded the rebound over Alex Lyon’s shoulder while falling. Before this postseason, it was reasonable to doubt Dach’s future, not for lack of talent, but because unavailable talent cannot be relied on. These playoffs haven’t erased that concern, but they’ve shown dismissing him entirely would be a mistake.

The Tage Thompson Question

Watching Game 1 against Buffalo, another comparison stands out: Tage Thompson. While Dach is not Thompson, Thompson turned a similar profile, big, skilled, inconsistent, into a top power forward through relentless offseason work. If Dach wants a model, Thompson provides it.

Dach’s game has a real weakness to address for a long-term centre role: faceoffs. He has struggled at the dot, a liability on a team that favours faceoff competence. Centremen who cannot win draws consistently put their linemates at a disadvantage, and St. Louis has shifted or removed players from the dot in such cases. To cement himself as a centre, Dach must improve his numbers.

For inspiration, Dach need look no further than teammates Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov, who exemplify the relentless off-ice work that separates good from great: day after day of focused training. This is part of the young Canadiens’ identity. If Dach wants to fulfill his potential, the opportunity is clear: join the group and put in the work.

Dach and the Roster Picture

Dach’s contract expires this season, making him a restricted free agent (RFA). Montreal’s summer decisions will depend on the rest of the forward group entering 2026-27, a picture that remains unsettled. Brendan Gallagher, a longtime Canadien, becomes an unrestricted free agent (UFA) this summer with a $6.5 million cap hit. He was a healthy scratch at times and out of the lineup for the first four Tampa games. At 33, with Montreal’s window shifting to younger players, whether he returns and at what price is uncertain. Renewal of his current deal is unlikely.

Joe Veleno, who came to Montreal on a one-year deal after being bought out by Seattle, is also an RFA. He appeared in 61 games but managed just five points. He is a strong non-tender candidate, and given his history and the limited market for him, it is hard to see Montreal making a big push to retain him.

Phillip Danault, reacquired from the Los Angeles Kings, has one season remaining on his contract. Used primarily in a bottom-six role, he recorded 12 points in 45 games. His season has had stretches of effectiveness mixed with visible struggles, but what stands out increasingly is the decline in both his foot speed and pace of execution, traits that could look even more out of place next season. Montreal is also expected to move on from Patrik Laine this offseason.

Owen Beck and Vinzenz Rohrer could both compete for NHL roles next season, with Rohrer recently joining the Laval Rocket during its playoff push after finishing his season in the Swiss League. Relying solely on rookies to replace experienced veterans, however, is not a sustainable approach for a team expecting to contend.

That is precisely why Dach remains an important player for Montreal to retain. Losing that much forward depth and experience, while also moving on from a player with his combination of size, skill, and proven playoff value, would create a hole this roster may not be equipped to overcome.

Where Dach Fits in All of This

The playoffs clarified Dach’s role: not a foundational player or expected second-line centre, but a big, skilled forward who can play centre, win battles, and produce memorable goals that show why he was drafted third overall. The numbers back it up. Dach is second among all Canadiens in points per 60 minutes in these playoffs. For a player written off two weeks ago, that context matters enormously when the contract conversation begins.

Montreal must qualify Dach at $4 million as an RFA. A two-year bridge deal makes sense: low cost, time for Dach to prove durability, and options for the organization. If he stays healthy and maintains this level, it is a bargain; if injured, Montreal has not overcommitted.

There is no precedent in his career that definitively suggests it is behind him. Two knee procedures, a broken wrist, and various in-season absences. The pattern has been persistent enough that you cannot simply wish it away, even though he has had a good two weeks in May. He knows that. The only way he truly changes that narrative is by showing up to training camp in September and staying in the lineup through April. That, more than anything else, is what the next chapter of Dach’s career depends on.

But here is what is also true: for years, every time Dach went down, the injuries left us with more questions than answers. Questions about whether he could stay healthy, whether the talent was real, whether the investment was worth it, and whether he had the drive to push through and become the player everyone once believed he could be. The questions piled up and never got resolved because you cannot answer questions about a player who is perpetually unavailable.

This playoff run has finally started answering them, and that has been a long time coming.