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

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)

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 three minutes into the first period after the Canadiens forward swatted at a puck with his arm but missed, never taking control of the puck.

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.

The officials did not call a penalty on the play.

It’s another injury for Dach, who 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 with serious knee injuries.

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

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

This is a corrected story. A previous version said the Canadiens announced Kirby Dach’s injury Monday. The team made the announcement Tuesday.