Recent Development: Colorado Avalanche forward gets called out by his hometown team in embarrassing fashion
Photo credit: TSN / The Canadian Press
During the 2017 off-season, the Montreal Canadiens made a significant move by trading a former first-round pick, Mikhail Sergachev, and a second-round selection to acquire the current Colorado Avalanche forward Jonathan Drouin, along with a sixth-round pick.
Today, Canadiens forward Kirby Dach is being compared to Drouin, and it's not in a good way.
Colorado Avalanche forward gets called out by his hometown team in embarrassing fashion.
At the 2023 NHL Draft, the Canadiens made a major move by trading a recently acquired first-round pick, obtained from the New York Islanders in exchange for the 98th overall pick and Alexander Romanov, along with a second-round pick to land Dach from the Chicago Blackhawks.
When it comes to Drouin's time in Montreal, Joshua Rosa from A Winning Habit writes that in 2019, a torn tendon in his wrist restricted him to only 27 games. In 2020, an ankle injury limited him to 44 games. The following year, Drouin stepped away from the game for personal reasons, and the year after, he suffered another wrist injury.
"After 2018-19 season, Drouin never came close to playing a full season in Montreal. The closest he came was in 2022-23, which would turn out to be his final season in Montreal, where he played 58 games." -Rosa
It's still early in his career, but Dach may be heading down a similar path as Drouin. His first season was full of potential, posting career highs in goals with 14, assists with 24, and points with 38 over 58 games. He looked like a prototypical modern power-forward.
"In his second season, Dach recorded two assists in his debut, but the very next game he was injured by former Canadiens draft pick Jarred Tinordi, being his awkwardly into the bench and tearing both his ACL and MCL." -Rosa
That injury would cost Dach the entirety of the 2023-24 season.
Just as Dach was beginning to find his stride in his return this past season, he suffered another injury against the Ottawa Senators, requiring a second knee surgery in as many seasons. He ended the 2024-25 season with 10 goals and 22 assists over 57 games.
"Now Dach is still very young at just 24 years old. He still has a lot of developing and should have a lot of playing ahead in his career. But knee injuries are hard to come back from, and two in two seasons is a lot to come back from." -Rosa
Dach still has one more year remaining on his current contract with the Canadiens, which will make his a restricted free agent next off-season. His upcoming campaign will be the most pivotal of his career. If he can stay healthy and recapture the flashes of talent that once made him stand out, it could be the perfect time for the team to gamble on his upside.
"But, if Dach has another majorly shortened season, especially if it involves his knee again, it would be hard to justify keeping him around. Its a shame, because it's not in anyone's control or anyone's fault. Same with Drouin, same with Dach. He has one year to prove himself." -Rosa
Only time will tell.
| POLL | ||
MAI 30 | 26 ANSWERS Recent Development: Colorado Avalanche forward gets called out by his hometown team in embarrassing fashion Who do you think is a better NHL player? | ||
| Jonathan Drouin | 20 | 76.9 % |
| Kirby Dach | 6 | 23.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
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