Canadian forward Kirby Dach out for extended period with ‘serious injury’

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He headed to the locker room immediately afterward, but was unable to return to the game due to a lower-body injury.

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A Canadiens spokesperson declined to provide further details about the injury, but confirmed the injury was serious and Dutch would be sidelined for an extended period of time. The team continues to evaluate Dax’s health and will provide further information in the coming days.

Head coach Martin St. Louis and players who spoke with Dach after the game said the 22-year-old Albertan was unhappy with the situation.

“He’s definitely disappointed. The second game of the season, the amount of time he put into building himself up for this, it’s tough. It’s tough,” St. Louis said.

Dutch missed 24 games late last season with a lower-body injury and then an upper-body injury. During the 2020-21 season with the Blackhawks, he played in only 18 games due to a wrist injury.

When asked what Dutch brings to the Canadiens lineup, St. Louis was effusive in his praise.

“He’s competitive. He brings a physical side to the game. He’s into getting a lot of pucks back instead of running around and hitting guys. He gets a lot of pucks, fights, and fights.” He’s a puck-stealing guy, and obviously, he’s good in transition. He’s got a very elite mind. He can make plays,” the coach said. “He showed he can do a lot on the ice. Obviously his size. Listen, he’s an important player for us and we’ll be sad to see him go, but the league cares. No. There’s one team that’s really worried about Kirby being injured. The rest of the league doesn’t care and the league continues. So for us, we have to continue. yeah.”

Dach has two assists in two games this season. He played in 58 games for the Canadiens last season, his first, and had 14 goals and 24 assists.

“This is the worst thing that could happen to me,” veteran Brendan Gallagher said of Dutch’s injury. “Taking care of yourself and making sacrifices over the summer to get in the best shape of your life. That’s what Kirby did and he was looking forward to the new season.

“There’s nothing you can do about it. Things like that happen,” Gallagher said. “We play a physical, contact sport. We’re going to lose some really good hockey players. It’s tough. You lose.”

Rookie Alex Newhook is expected to slide into Dach’s role as the team’s second-line center.

Montreal hosts the Minnesota Wild at the Bell Center on Tuesday night.

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