Montreal Canadiens centre Kirby Dach (77) moves the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Boston Bruins in Boston, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

By The Canadian Press

Canadiens forward Kirby Dach out two to four weeks with upper-body injury

Mar 17, 2026 | 8:40 AM

MONTREAL — Montreal Canadiens forward Kirby Dach will miss two to four weeks after leaving Sunday’s 4-3 loss to the Anaheim Ducks with an upper-body injury, the team announced Tuesday.

Ducks winger Jeffrey Viel caught an unsuspecting Dach with a high hit in Anaheim’s end early in the first period after the Canadiens forward swatted at the puck with his arm but missed.

Dach fell to the ice and held his face in his gloves before gingerly making his way to the bench, and eventually to the dressing room. Dach never had control of the puck on the play and the officials did not call a penalty.

“Feel for (Dach), he’s been through a lot of big injuries obviously in his career,” said veteran winger Brendan Gallagher, set to play in his 900th game Tuesday night against the Boston Bruins.

“This one, the good news is we’re going to get him back, but it’s not an easy day for him. But he knows what he’s got to do to get himself ready for the playoffs, and we’ve got to do what we’ve got to do to give him an opportunity.”

The Canadiens (36-20-10) sat third in the Atlantic Division with a three-point cushion on the Columbus Blue Jackets – the top team outside the playoffs – heading into Tuesday’s games.

Dach has already missed 31 games this season with a fractured foot.

The 25-year-old from Fort Saskatchewan, Alta. — a third overall draft pick in 2019 — also missed the end of the 2024-25 season and almost the entire 2023-24 campaign with serious knee injuries.

Dach has eight goals and six assists through 32 games this season, his fourth in Montreal.

“It’s unfortunate, you feel for the player. It feels (like) a lot of bad luck,” head coach Martin St. Louis said. “I think he was playing some pretty good hockey, physical. We’re going to have to try to collectively replace that, and I think we can.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 17, 2026.

Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press