Kirby Dach's Last Game in Montreal? What's Next for the Canadiens Forward

You hate to see it end this way, but sometimes the footy gods have a cruel sense of timing. If the whispers doing the rounds at the Bell Centre turn out to be on the money, we might have already seen Kirby Dach pull on the bleu-blanc-rouge for the very last time. And for a bloke who was supposed to be a cornerstone of this rebuild, that's a bitter pill for Habs fans to swallow.

Let's be real for a sec—when Kent Hughes did that deal with the Blackhawks back in 2022, sending Alexander Romanov to the Islanders to flip the picks for Kirby Dach, the whole city was buzzing. We were getting a former third-overall pick with size, silky hands, and a point to prove. Someone who could grow alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield and give Montreal a genuine one-two punch down the middle for the next decade. And for patches, it clicked. Remember that chemistry with Caufield early last season? It was electrifying.

The Injury Curse Just Wouldn't Let Up

But then came the knee injury in 2023, the one that wiped out almost his entire season. You could see it in his game this year—the hesitation, that half-yard of pace missing. Kirby Dach fought tooth and nail to get back, but an injury-riddled season limited his impact. He'd flash that elite skill, gliding through the neutral zone, then go missing for stretches. In a market like Montreal, patience is a virtue, but it's also a luxury. When you're icing a team still searching for its identity, every player's future is under the microscope.

The Numbers Game and the Salary Cap Squeeze

Here's where it gets tricky. Kirby Dach is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this off-season, coming off a bridge deal. He's due a pay rise—maybe not a massive one given the quieter year, but enough to make Hughes think twice. With Kirby Dach in the lineup, the top six feels a bit crowded, especially with Owen Beck and Joshua Roy knocking the door down, ready to step in on cheap entry-level contracts. The front office has a call to make: do you back Kirby Dach's potential, or do you change tack, free up that cap space, and plug a gap on defence or between the pipes?

And let's not beat around the bush—the rumour mill has been working overtime. You hear his name pop up in hypotheticals involving a top-four left-shot D-man, or maybe as part of a package for a proven scorer. Kirby Dach at 25 years old still holds plenty of currency around the league. GMs look at that size, that draft pedigree, and think, "Maybe a fresh start unlocks that 70-point potential."

What Would a Montreal Exit Look Like?

If this really is the end, it's a bittersweet one. No playoff farewell, no tribute video—just the quiet hum of speculation in mid-March. Here's what the Canadiens would be losing:

• The Playmaking Centre: When Kirby Dach is on song, he's a zone-entry weapon who carves out space for his wingers like few others in this squad.
• The Physical Presence: At 6'4", he throws his weight around and can be a handful along the boards, something the Habs sometimes lack.
• The Untapped Ceiling: We haven't seen the best of Kirby Dach yet. Moving him on means betting he won't reach it elsewhere—and watching him possibly tear it up.

On the flip side, moving on would signal a clear direction: Martin St-Louis wants pace, grit, and consistency every shift. It would open a permanent spot for a younger, cheaper kid and give Hughes the currency to make another big splash this off-season.

I've covered this team long enough to know that in Montreal, every player is replaceable in the grand scheme, but some departures just hit harder. Kirby Dach was more than just a player; he was a project, a comeback story we all bought into. If he has played his last game in the bleu-blanc-rouge, I'll remember the flashes of brilliance and hope he finally puts it all together—even if it's somewhere else. The business side of hockey is cold like that.