Kirby Dach’s upper-body injury will keep the Canadiens forward out weeks

Kirby Dach has struggled mightily to stay healthy since joining the Montreal Canadiens, and he was dealt another disappointing injury blow on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old will miss the next 2-4 weeks due to an upper-body injury suffered in a 4-3 loss to the Anaheim Ducks at the Bell Centre on Sunday, the team announced. The forward fell to the ice after taking a hart hit from Ducks’ Jeffrey Viel along the boards early in the first period of the contest and didn’t return.

It’s a brutal blow for the former third overall selection in the 2019 NHL Draft, who has chipped in eight goals and 14 points over 32 games in 2025-26.

Dach had already missed 31 games earlier in the campaign due to a broken foot, and he suited up for just two contests in 2024-25 before tearing both his ACL and MCL, which required season-ending surgery.

The news could officially end Dach’s regular-season, depending on how long the injury ends up keeping him out of the lineup for. Montreal’s last game is on April 14, but if the Canadiens advance to the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs, it looks likely that he will return, at the latest, for Round 1.

Still, the injuries keep on piling up for the Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta native, who hasn’t had a fully healthy campaign over his seven-year NHL career. He hasn’t missed under 10 games in a season since his rookie year.

His ice time is down to under 14 minutes per game, but his play has improved; he’s posted a career-best 52.0 percent expected goals share at even strength. Although he hasn’t turned into the top-six forward the franchise had hoped, he has been a solid complementary piece when healthy this season.

In his absence, it’s expected that either Joe Veleno or Alexandre Texier will return to the lineup after both forwards were healthy scratched on Sunday. Montreal returns to action for a critical all-Atlantic Division tilt against the Boston Bruins at the Bell Centre on Tuesday night.

The Bruins are occupying the second wildcard berth in the Eastern Conference, and just a point back of the Habs for third place in the division.

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