Kirby Dach never imagined the scenario he is experiencing this season during his summer preparation.
Pumped up for the new season – his second with the Montreal Canadiens – and after an excellent training camp, he instead tore two ligaments in his right knee in the first period of the second game of the campaign.
There is no question of wasting his time with the Canadiens, especially when we are talking about an important young element of the team. Despite a long convalescence that should prevent him from playing by the end of the season, Dach has taken steps to continue his progression.
The 23-year-old Albertan was notably invited to participate in opponent analysis and match review sessions by the coaches.
“I’ve had a lot of good discussions with Martin about the game, the way he sees it, the way I see it,” Dach said Sunday at a media scrum. “Having good discussions like that will benefit me in the long run.”
“It allows me to learn about the game, to see things from a different angle, understand why you want to do certain things on the ice, where to find the spaces to make certain plays,” he continued. “It’s the same thing as a player during these games. But you don’t see the backstage, the number of sequences that are reviewed. Some mornings, it’s a bit long! You have to arrive early! But it’s worth it and it helps me a lot.”
On this subject, Dach said he appreciated the open-mindedness of St-Louis and his assistants, who do not hesitate to ask his opinion on certain things.
“When he’s watching the game from up there, he’s able to see what we’re talking about. Even more than the guys on the bench,” St. Louis said. “It keeps his mind engaged on the things we’re working on,” he added.
In his role on the sidelines, Dach has also not been shy about sharing his views with his teammates, including Juraj Slafkovsky.
“To be honest, I see a lot of myself in ‘Slaf,’” he said. “He’s a good young guy and a big guy. He arrived quickly. Maybe he was ready, maybe not. We don’t know. But I see similarities with me. There are big expectations on his shoulders. That comes from him too. He wants to show that he deserves to be there. When you see a young guy who is having difficulty, you want to step in to help and advise him.”
St-Louis praised Dach’s quality of wanting to help his teammates.
“I think not everybody is comfortable going to a player and talking to them about their game,” St. Louis said. “That’s good to have. His understanding of the game is very good (in Dach). That’s the beauty of playing a team sport, having discussions with your colleagues, your teammates and talking about the game.”
Still, Dach said he was disappointed to have lost another important segment of development in his young career.
He missed 24 games with various ailments last season. Not to mention a serious wrist injury that forced him to miss 38 games in his second NHL campaign with the Chicago Blackhawks.
“It’s too bad. I had a good summer, I felt good, I had confidence in my game,” Dach said. “I was the victim of an unlucky play. I can’t help it. It’s not a good feeling when you lose a season like that. But the sun came out the next morning.”
Dach, who resumed skating on Feb. 14, said he feels good physically and does not feel any delay in his development in that area.
And despite his involvement in team meetings and with the coaches, he admits that the challenge of this long absence is mainly mental. He therefore thanked the members of his entourage for their support.
“My family has been great. I have a friend who came to visit and my mom has spent a lot of time here,” he said. “It’s nice to have home-cooked meals!”
Dach, who had surgery Oct. 31, said his recovery time frame is eight months, so although he has started skating again, it would be unlikely he plays a game before the end of the season.
He has also ruled out participation in the World Hockey Championship. He hopes instead to use the summer to prepare for the next campaign.
Dach is also looking forward to helping his teammates win games.
“The support from the fans, from the city, has been phenomenal. It’s made things easier at times, but yeah, it makes me wonder where we would be if I had played this season. It would be nice to play with the guys and go to war with them,” he concluded.
