Pivotal season for Kirby Dach as centre seeks long-term stay with Canadiens

Sometimes a one-word answer speaks volumes.

It was a tumultuous summer for Canadiens centre Kirby Dach — from filing for arbitration after spurning a two-way contract offer to eventually agreeing in mid-July to a one-year deal worth US$3.6 million.

Dach shouldn’t have been surprised when he was asked on Friday to comment on the contract negotiations. And the media huddled around him after the second day of training camp practices in Brossard shouldn’t have been surprised by his one-word answer.

“No,” Dach succinctly said, without waiting for the question to be completed.

Nonetheless, there’s no denying that Dach, 25, has reached a crossroad in his NHL career and in Montreal. The one-year contract allows him an opportunity to prove his worth before potentially becoming an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Dach’s first mandate is to remain healthy. He played only 37 games last season, scoring eight goals and adding seven assists, but he did add four goals and an assist in 19 playoff games. Since being traded to the Canadiens from Chicago in July 2022 for first- and third-round draft choices, Dach has missed 174 games with a plethora of injuries while being limited to 154 games.

Dach said the fact he could be available come July won’t affect his approach to the game.

“I don’t think any of that stuff matters or determines the way I play, or anybody else in that locker room,” he said. “We’re a tight-knit group. We’re a family. We’re a pack. We want to push each other each and every day to get to the level we know we can get to. Finish the unfinished business.

“I know who I am as a person,” added Dach, selected third overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2019. “I know who I am as a player. It doesn’t change or waver the confidence I have in myself with this team. I love being here. We’ve kind of built a great culture here. I’m definitely going to enjoy this year and hopefully can prove (I should) stay.”

It’s no secret the Canadiens have long been seeking a second-line centre to complement captain Nick Suzuki. At 6-foot-4 and 221 pounds, Dach has the size to fill that role.

But there’s a feeling that Dach plays soft, and his soft-spoken demeanour is sometimes interpreted as an aversion to play physically. Nonetheless, Dach had 53 hits in his 37 games along with 31 penalty minutes while averaging 13:39 of ice time. Still, he could use his size more effectively to be more imposing or protect the puck. That’s what’s expected of a power forward.

This was never more apparent than in Game 2 of the first-round playoff matchup against Tampa Bay last season. Dach committed a costly turnover and needless icing play late in the game. The Lightning’s J.J. Moser capitalized on the ensuing faceoff, scoring the overtime winner to even the series.

Despite suggestions that Dach should be benched, head coach Martin St. Louis remained in his corner. Dach rewarded his coach with a goal and assist in the next game, a 3-2 overtime victory.

It was clear on Friday that St. Louis hasn’t wavered in his opinion of Dach, saying the player will determine where he fits into the lineup.

“He’s young. He’s getting stronger,” St. Louis said. “He has come into camp in good shape. And he’s healthy.”

And while two days of practices offer few insights, Dach was on a line Friday between Zachary Bolduc and Alexandre Texier.

“As a group, we’re excited,” Dach said. “We got to the third round last year. We got some really good experience understanding what it takes to win. I think as a group, we understand the standard it’s going to take each and every night to get back to that spot — and go past that.”

Dach said he played his game and embraced the role he was given in the playoffs. If Dach must prove himself to the organization in the final year of his contract, he maintains he’s no different than any of his teammates. The daily battle never ends.

“We have a lot of talent on this team, a lot of skill and a lot of depth,” he said. “It’s good to have that internal competition and to push each other. That’s what makes this group so special. As close as we are, we’re still able to push each other’s buttons in a good way and get the best out of each other.”

The Canadiens play a pair of split-squad exhibition games against the Maple Leafs— one at the Bell Centre, the other at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto — on Saturday. Both start at 7 p.m.

Suzuki, Chris Kreider, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Ivan Demidov, Oliver Kapanen, Lane Hutson, Arber Xhekaj, Jayden Struble, Alexandre Carrier, Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler are the regulars who will play in Montreal.