Despite Kirby Dach’s return from an injury that kept him sidelined for a year, he has continued to underperform for the Montreal Canadiens.
Dach has been a significant disappointment since the season began, which is unfortunate but true. He has managed to accumulate only eight points, including just two goals in 28 games. According to HABSolumentFan, a former Canadiens head coach has openly expressed frustration with Dach’s performance.
During a recent appearance on TVA Sports’ JiC, Michel Therrien did not hold back in criticizing Dach’s lack of urgency and even made an unusual sports comparison.
“He’s starting to annoy me a bit. This kind of play can wear a coach out. […] St-Louis’ reaction after a second turnover in the third period leading to a penalty says it all. He seems to be aiming for the green jacket, and I’m confident he’ll achieve that. He works really hard for it.
However, I don’t see any improvement in his turnovers. It’s likely frustrating for a coach to witness the same mistakes repeatedly. David Savard has to block shots on the penalty kill because of Dach’s careless play, and a few veterans are definitely growing tired of it.” – Michel Therrien
Therrien is alluding to the green jacket awarded to the champion of The Masters, golf’s most prestigious tournament. In contrast, having a poor plus-minus in hockey is undesirable, and Dach possesses one of the worst ratings in the NHL this season at minus-21, with only Philipp Kurashev of the Chicago Blackhawks faring worse.
In his last 10 games, Dach has only managed to score a single point, a goal that came from a generous error by the Anaheim Ducks’ goalie at the Bell Centre last Tuesday. Despite being paired with Juraj Slafkovsky and Patrik Laine since the latter’s return, Dach’s offensive output remains minimal.
