Kirby Dach was injured in the fourth period of play by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2023-24 season and did not return to play.
Patrik Laine fell in combat on December 14 and his season ended when he subsequently entered the NHL and Players’ Association’s player assistance program to rebuild his mental health.
Both players will need time to find their bearings on the ice and the speed at which they do so could have an impact on the Habs’ success this fall.
Laine, Dach and Alex Newhook have been reunited on what is expected to be the Canadiens’ second line through the first two days of camp. Each time, their group has lost its intrasquad game and they have been generally quiet on the CN Sports Complex ice.
“It’s not easy to come back to the NHL when you’ve lost time on the sidelines,” Canadiens head coach Martin St-Louis recalled Friday.
“These are players who have high expectations of themselves and you have to help them manage those expectations on a day-to-day basis, make them understand that they’re going to have to be patient,” he added, speaking specifically of Dach and Laine.
Aware that he will not regain his touch in the blink of an eye, Dach nevertheless recalled the importance of a proactive approach.
“I’m not going to wait for it to happen by itself. I want to do everything to speed up the process. We’re going to work together on the details, our timing and our tendencies.”
The Canadiens ranked 26th in the NHL last winter with an average of 2.83 goals per game. The arrival of Laine, acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets during the summer and author of three campaigns of more than 30 goals in the NHL, and the return to health of Dach should help the Habs find the back of the opposing net more regularly.
Developing cohesion
If the trio of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky are looking to continue their momentum from the second half of last season, St. Louis will hope to have found a good second combination in reuniting Laine, Dach and Newhook.
“Laine has a very good shot. Dach carries the puck well and is a good puck retriever. ‘Newy’ [Newhook] has speed, which puts the opposing team on their heels and allows him to be first to the puck,” St. Louis said.
“I think they’re elements that complement each other well,” he added. “Now they need repetitions. They’ve missed a lot of time and it takes patience when you come back to this level.”
The main stakeholders also believe in their means of developing a cohesion that will allow them to be successful.
Laine also made a good first impression on her new trio mates.
“He wants to score and he’s always looking for a way to generate offence,” Newhook said of the 26-year-old Finn. “He’s also got good skating for a player his size, kind of like Dach.”
The three players will want to take advantage of the preparatory matches to continue to develop their cohesion.
The group of Dach, Laine and Newhook must practice before the other two groups face off in an intrasquad game on Saturday. Since the second-line group lost its first two games, the schedule will be the same on Sunday, when the other two groups will face off again in the final of the friendly tournament.
The Canadiens will then begin their preseason schedule by hosting the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night at the Bell Centre.
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