3 Montreal Canadiens who must make up for loss of Kirby Dach

1. Sean Monahan

Once upon a time, Monahan was one of the best up-and-coming players in the NHL, scoring 82 points in 78 games with the Calgary Flames in the 2018-19 season. That was before Matthew Tkachuk reached the peak of his powers, and since that season, Monahan's offensive production has dipped dramatically in direct correlation with his health.

After bottoming out to a career-low 23 points in 63 games during his final season in Calgary in 2021-22, Monahan got a mulligan with the Canadiens after being traded on Aug. 18, 2022. Although the longtime Flames center posted a respectable 17 points in 25 games, that also meant that he missed 57 games last season.

At 29 years old and on a one-year contract, this could be one of Monahan's final opportunities to prove that he can a.) stay healthy, and b.) still play at a high level — but not necessarily what we saw five seasons ago. If the once-dynamic center can re-discover his scoring form and stay on the ice, it'll be a welcomed boon for a Canadiens team that is going to need all the help it can get.

Through the first two games of the season, Monahan is ninth on the Canadiens in on-ice xGF% with 51.5 percent — below Cole Caufield's 56.2 and above Jake Evans' 49.4. Playing with one-dimensional grinders like Josh Anderson and Brendan Gallagher won't help Monahan's cause, but this is the hand he's been dealt.