NEW YORK – Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews, Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson and Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin have been named the NHL's "Three Stars" for the week ending Oct. 15.
Kirby Dach has a significant injury that, according to the Montreal Canadiens, will not be short term.
The 22-year-old forward was injured when Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Jarred Tinordi hit him into the Chicago bench in the first period of a 3-2 Montreal win at Bell Centre on Saturday.
The Canadiens said they are still in the process of properly diagnosing the injury and will know more in the next few days.
“It’s hard,” Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said Monday. “He was off to a great start. You see the potential he has and the way he has been playing. But that’s the game.”
Dach, selected by Chicago with No. 3 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, was traded to Montreal on July 7, 2022. He had 38 points (14 goals, 24 assists) in 58 games last season and opened this season with two assists in a 6-5 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Wednesday.
“He does a lot,” St. Louis said. “He competes. He brings a physical aspect to the game, not running around and hitting guys, but winning pucks back. He’s a guy that wins a lot of pucks and battles and steals pucks, and obviously great in transition. He possesses [the puck]. He’s got a very elite brain. You know, he can make plays. He has shown that he can do a lot on the ice.”
Alex Newhook will play center on the second line when the Canadiens host the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; RDS, TSN2, BSN, BSWIX), likely between forwards Josh Anderson and Juraj Slafkovsky.
“It [stinks] losing a guy like that, no matter how long the timeline is, but I think it’s just next-man-up mentality,” Newhook said. “Obviously a big hole to fill, and I’m going to do my best to fill that and carry the load.”
Newhook, who signed a four-year contract with Montreal as an unrestricted free agent July 11, said he is comfortable at center and on the wing.
“That’s a big part of my game, is versatility there and being able to slot in wherever I’m needed, and it looks like now it will be back in the middle,” Newhook said.
Rafael Harvey-Pinard will move up to the top line with center Nick Suzuki and forward Cole Caufield, while forward Michael Pezzetta will take Harvey-Pinard’s spot on the fourth line.
“It’s going to be a great opportunity for me, but even if I’m playing on the fourth, third or the first line, I have to keep my identity and play the same way I’m used to playing,” Harvey-Pinard said.
St. Louis said he thinks the Canadiens have good depth.
“It’s not one player that makes up our team,” St. Louis said. “The depth that we have an our play as a group will help us get through times like this. For me, it’s next man up and the strength of the group.”
Brandon Tanev is out 4-6 weeks for the Seattle Kraken with a lower-body injury.
The forward was injured in Seattle's season opener, a 4-1 loss at the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 10. He left the game at 6:02 of the third period after taking a hit in the neutral zone from Golden Knights forward Brett Howden, who received a match penalty for an illegal check to the head and was suspended two games by the NHL Department of Player Safety.
Tanev has missed two games, a 3-0 loss at the Nashville Predators on Thursday and a 2-1 shootout loss at the St. Louis Blues on Saturday.
Selected from the Pittsburgh Penguins by the Kraken in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft, Tanev had 15 points (nine goals, six points) in 30 games in 2021-22 and 35 points (16 goals, 19 assists) in 82 games last season. He had four points (one goal, three assists) in 14 games of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
NHL Insider (nhl-insider) is now From the Point (fromthe_point)!
It has been probably over five years since my last post but I am back and here to continue bringing you updates on the NHL under a new name!
You can follow me on all social channels (X, Instagram, Threads) @/fromthe_point
Additionally, I will go back to my main goal of only following the NHL. It was really nice to follow all the other leagues and get a good grasp of the prospects but in order to bring back quality and consistency to my post, I will refocus on solely the NHL.