Unexpected turn of events for Kirby Dach and the Montreal Canadiens: It changes everything

There is good news for Montreal Canadiens forward Kirby Dach, who missed the rest of the year after having to undergo knee surgery in February.

He took part in a recent practice in Brossard along with several of his Canadiens teammates for an informal practice.

This may change the plans of GM Kent Hughes, who could have considered acquiring more depth to offset the loss of what they expected would be the absence of Dach to begin the new year.

The Blackhawks took Dach with the 3rd overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft while he was playing for the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL, but his time with the organization was short as he was traded to the Canadiens in 2022 for the 13th pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.

That pick turned out to be a good one for the Blackhawks, as they took Frank Nazar, who they recently re-signed to a multi-year extension, with the selection they got in return for Dach from the Canadiens.

Dach had 22 points (10G, 12A) in 57 games with the Canadiens last year before his knee injury.

He has 121 points (43G, 78A) in 269 career NHL games.