Latest news with #Dach
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Colton Dach looks forward to his first playoff action with the Rockford IceHogs
Rockford, Ill. (WTVO/WQRF) — The IceHogs bounced the Chicago Wolves from the Calder Cup playoffs. Now they have the Milwaukee Admirals in their sights. Their best-of-five series opens Thursday night in Hogs got plenty of rest over the weekend thanks to their clincher last Friday morning they had an optional workout at the BMO. It benefited a lot of the young newcomers on the team. Goalie Cameron Rowe, forward AJ Spellacy, forward Mark Vanacker, and defenseman Taige Harding all of the Hogs top players also were on the ice. Defenseman Kevin Korchinski, who was huge with two goals in the Chicago Series was one of them. Goaltender Drew Commesso, the MVP of the Chicago series was also on the ice getting some instruction from goaltender coach Matt Dach wasn't on the ice Tuesday, but he is ready to go for this series with Milwaukee after recovering from a shoulder injury. After sitting out the last six weeks, Dach is fired up to play. 'It'll be very exciting to get back into the game on Thursday and just kind of coming down and watching the guys play and even watching the NHL playoffs, it just kind of gets you itching to get back out there. You want to go out there and make an impact, so I'm really looking forward to Thursday.'Dach says he was impressed with what he saw from his teammates in the two games against the Wolves.'I was really happy with the guys and really proud of them how they played, being physical and hard on pucks. Playing the right way. I think that's what we've got to take into the series against Milwaukee. Play hard and just a smart game, and I think we'll like our outcome.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Canadiens Need Kirby Dach To Prove Himself Next Season After Knee Surgery
For some NHL players – mostly as a result of sheer bad luck – their best-laid career plans disintegrate because of consistent injuries. That's what's happening to Montreal Canadiens center Kirby Dach. Kirby Dach holds down Dylan Duke (Eric Bolte-Imagn Images) The 24-year-old Dach's season ended after undergoing knee surgery this week on the same knee he injured last season, when he appeared in only two games. Owen Beck slid onto the second line as Dach's replacement. This marks the second-straight season injuries ended Dach's campaign, but injuries have affected him almost his entire NHL career. The way things developed for him this year, his career trajectory isn't headed in a positive direction. Before Dach's injury this season, he played 57 games – almost identical to the 58 games he played for Montreal in 2022-23. But in the 2022-23 campaign, Dach had 14 goals and 38 points. This season, he generated only 10 goals and 22 points. Some may note his individual numbers were down this year because his minutes were cut from an average of 18:30 two years ago to just 15:40 this season. But the Canadiens are a better, deeper team this season, so you can see why Habs coach Martin St-Louis cut back on Dach's usage when the results weren't coming in. Dach shifted often between the second, third and fourth lines. L'attaquant Kirby Dach a subi une opération au genou droit. L'opération a été réalisée avec succès par le Dr Thierry Pauyo à Montréal et une guérison complète est attendue avant le début de la prochaine Kirby Dach underwent successful surgery to his right knee.… — Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) February 28, 2025 Dach simply hasn't played at the level you'd expect from a player drafted third overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2019. You can't fault Montreal GM Kent Hughes if he goes out this summer and finds a player who can slot in as the Canadiens' No. 2 center as a replacement for Dach. As it stands at the moment, Dach has slipped into 'show, don't tell' mode when it comes to asserting himself as a key piece of Montreal's future. Dach is under contract through next season at a salary cap hit of about $3.36 million. That's a relatively cheap number for someone who should've played a more central role in the Canadiens' blueprint for success. But after this latest injury, he could easily be pushed down Montreal's depth chart until such time that he proves he can be relied on to handle the rigors of the regular season. The Canadiens likely won't make the Stanley Cup playoffs, so they can afford to continue to be patient with their young players. But when it comes to Dach, the time for patience is just about over. When he gets to training camp next fall, Dach will have a significant spotlight on him, which will stay there as he tries to demonstrate he can play a full NHL season. Thus far, in six seasons, the most he's played in a single year has been 70 games in 2021-22, when he was a member of the Blackhawks. Knee surgery has brought Kirby Dach's difficult season to a close. #GoHabsGo — JFresh (@JFreshHockey) February 28, 2025 We're not here to dump on Dach. Whenever injuries prevent someone from competing, there's an inherent sadness at play. That's certainly true of Dach's misfortune, and he remains a talented player who can always bounce back. But in the pro hockey business, if you're consistently not contributing the way other players can, you're eventually going to be faced with being bypassed in your team's plans. It's a cold-blooded business. Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Taming Their Bete Noire: 3 Takeaways From the Canadiens' Win Over the Hurricanes
It had been a good long while since the Montreal Canadiens managed to have the better of the Carolina Hurricanes; it was probably when they made that overinflated offer to Jesperi Kotkaniemi but on the scoreboard, the Habs' last win against Tuesday night's visitors dated back to February 2020. Logan Mailloux Is Getting Closer To The NHL Canadiens: A Big Audition Today In Canadiens History: A Little M Highlight Although we didn't see much of Owen Beck thanks to the numerous penalties the Hurricanes took, when he was on the ice with his linemates, the second line looked much better than it usually does in transition. Why? Because Beck has more speed than Dach, and on a line where there's already a slower skater in Patrik Laine, an infusion of speed made a big difference. The lack of speed was downright annoying when Dach, Laine, and Juraj Slafkovsky were on the same line, but even with Alex Newhook replacing the young Slovak, there's room for improvement. At times, it looks like Newhook is too fast for his teammates. He pierces the defense and then finds himself alone in no man's land. On Tuesday night, we saw such an occurrence on the second wave of the power play, but not at even strength. Before the game, captain Nick Suzuki had never scored a goal against the visitors, and in 12 games, he only had one point. That's not true anymore. On top of making a great play that led to the opening goal, on which he got an assist, the center scored a beautiful goal on the power play and added an assist on Lane Hutson's goal, ending his struggles against Carolina. Meanwhile, his partner in crime, Cole Caufield, got a secondary assist on his power-play goal, notching his 200th point in the NHL in the process. In 6 games against the Canes, he had never managed to notch a point, but he did it tonight for a significant milestone. He needed 263 games to do so, making him the quickest player to accomplish the feat in a Canadiens' uniform in the last 30 years. 200 points pour Cole, le joueur des Canadiens à atteindre le plus rapidement ce plateau dans les 30 dernières années! 200 NHL points for Cole, the fastest Hab to reach this milestone in 30 years! #GoHabsGo — Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) February 26, 2025 As for Samuel Montembeault, after six consecutive losses at the hands of Rod Brind'Amour's men, he was finally able to win a game against them. That he did it with a shutout is just the icing on the cake. The Bell Centre crowd usually is unforgiving, to say the least. Once you cross Canadiens fans, you better be ready for a lifetime of booing. The most potent example is probably how Zdeno Chara was booed every time he touched the puck in Montreal after the Mac Pacioretty incident. That's the kind of treatment Kotkaniemi received in Montreal since putting pen to paper on the above-mentioned offer sheet, but not anymore. The Finn has become such a nonfactor that Canadiens fans don't care they lost him anymore. There's no more hate. Instead, there's something much worse for a hockey player: indifference. Kotkaniemi has fallen into the 'picks everyone would rather forget' category. This is fair enough, considering the Canes used seven defensemen in the game, leaving the pivot without an actual line or much ice time. Ultimately, the Canadiens won the game 4-0, which will be great for the team's collective confidence, especially since Montreal had not beaten the Carolina outfit in regulation since 2018. The sole downside about the game for the Habs was the way Josh Anderson crashed into the boards at full speed. The dad-to-be has regularly replaced practices with therapy days, and this certainly won't help matters. Full-marks for Laine last night, he managed to grab three points and was named the third star of the game. He appears much more confident than he was before the international break and that's a good sign going forward. Canadiens stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News, never to miss a story. Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @ and Threads @karinehains. Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kirby Dach Injured
The Montreal Canadiens will be missing their second line centre Kirby Dach on Tuesday night when they take on the Carolina Hurricanes. The 24-year-old pivot missed Monday morning's practice in Brossard even though he did finish the game on Saturday night. This morning, the organization announced he was dealing with a lower body injury which is still being evaluated. Slafkovsky Knows What He Has To DoDoes Nick Suzuki Have Another Level to Rise To?Canadiens Held Annual Skills Contest The big forward spent 13:43 on the ice on Saturday and started his last shift at 18:38 of the third period and was on the ice for 38 seconds. There was no sign that he might have been injured. While he was at the skills competition on Sunday he was riding the pine alongside Josh Anderson for the duration of the event. It's not unheard of that a player tweaks something that no-one notices and has to miss time because of it, however, given Dach's injury history, it could be seen as worrying. Could it be an issue with the knee he was operated on last season? That cannot be ruled out, especially since it takes a bit of time for a new injury to be evaluated. Someone who sprains their knee can carry on playing on the day, but wake up the next morning unable to straighten the leg or bend it past a certain point. It will be interesting to see what the news are on that front in the coming days, a lengthy absence is certainly not what Dach needs. His season has been underwhelming so far and he has yet to prove that he should be part of the Canadiens' core going forward. With a single year left on his contract after this season, it's high time for Dach to show what he can do if he would life to still be around when Montreal is ready to contend. Canadiens stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News, never to miss a story. Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @ and Threads @karinehains. Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kirby Dach Injured
The Montreal Canadiens will be missing their second line centre Kirby Dach on Tuesday night when they take on the Carolina Hurricanes. The 24-year-old pivot missed Monday morning's practice in Brossard even though he did finish the game on Saturday night. This morning, the organization announced he was dealing with a lower body injury which is still being evaluated. Slafkovsky Knows What He Has To DoDoes Nick Suzuki Have Another Level to Rise To?Canadiens Held Annual Skills Contest The big forward spent 13:43 on the ice on Saturday and started his last shift at 18:38 of the third period and was on the ice for 38 seconds. There was no sign that he might have been injured. While he was at the skills competition on Sunday he was riding the pine alongside Josh Anderson for the duration of the event. It's not unheard of that a player tweaks something that no-one notices and has to miss time because of it, however, given Dach's injury history, it could be seen as worrying. Could it be an issue with the knee he was operated on last season? That cannot be ruled out, especially since it takes a bit of time for a new injury to be evaluated. Someone who sprains their knee can carry on playing on the day, but wake up the next morning unable to straighten the leg or bend it past a certain point. It will be interesting to see what the news are on that front in the coming days, a lengthy absence is certainly not what Dach needs. His season has been underwhelming so far and he has yet to prove that he should be part of the Canadiens' core going forward. With a single year left on his contract after this season, it's high time for Dach to show what he can do if he would life to still be around when Montreal is ready to contend. Canadiens stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News, never to miss a story. Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @ and Threads @karinehains. Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.
