Canadiens Forward Kirby Dach Sidelined With Odd Injury

The Montreal Canadiens provided an injury update on several of their players currently populating the infirmary.

Joel Armia did not practice and is unlikely to play against the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday. His current health status is day-to-day.

Joel Edmundson is apparently progressing well, although there were no specifics provided. The Canadiens are expected to provide an update on his case later this week.

Edmundson has been included in a lot of trade talks, and with the March 3rd Trade Deadline quickly approaching, the earlier he returns, the better it will be for Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton. The Canadiens only have four games, including Friday’s matchup against the Flyers, before the Trade Deadline passes.

Veteran defenceman Chris Wideman will be kept out of action due to an upper-body injury. He is not expected back any time soon and is considered week-to-week.

But the biggest news was the health status of centre Kirby Dach, who hasn’t played since February 14th.

Dach File

Dach was originally sidelined with a non-covid illness. However, further medical tests revealed the 21-year-old was suffering from a lower-body injury.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen this before. pic.twitter.com/2pDnzQJj4H

— Arpon Basu (@ArponBasu) February 23, 2023

Without delving into speculation of Dach’s actual diagnosis, there are a few situations that could produce illness-like symptoms but end up being the result of another underlying issue, particularly when it comes to infections.

The injury is just the latest odd case that adds to the confusion regarding the Canadiens organization and their lack of healthy bodies, which has been the topic at the forefront of the discussion when it comes to their season.

There is a silver lining, despite the unfortunate injury situation for Dach.

He was one of the few players left in the lineup that could change the momentum of a game and drive the offence for the Canadiens. His absence, combined with a very difficult strength of schedule, should lead to improved odds for the 2023 NHL Draft Lottery.

Dach joins Edmundson, Wideman, Armia, Kaiden Guhle, Carey Price, Paul Byron, Brendan Gallagher, Sean Monahan, Arber Xhekaj, Jake Evans, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Cole Caufield on the Canadiens’ injured list.