Ice Chips: Dach absent from Habs practice, will play preseason games

Keep updated on all the injury news and roster updates from around the NHL with daily Ice Chips.

Montreal Canadiens

Head coach Martin St. Louis told the media on Friday that forward Kirby Dach, who was absent from today’s skate, will play preseason games.

Vice president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton said at the team’s charity golf tournament on Monday that there is a plan in place to have Dach ready for the start of the regular season.

Dach underwent season-ending knee surgery on Feb. 28. He has been skating with Habs teammates at the team’s practice facility in Brossard since the end of August.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Forward Max Domi was on the ice ahead of Leafs practice as he works his way back from a lower-body injury.

General manager Brad Treliving said on Wednesday that Domi was day-to-day with the injury. He tweaked something recently and is not expected to be a full participant as training camp gets underway.

The 30-year-old had eight goals and 33 points last season in 74 games last season, his second with the Maple Leafs.

Leafs Group 1 practice lines per TSN’s Mark Masters:

McMann - Tavares - W.Nylander

Joshua - Roy - Cowan

Boyd - Haymes - A.Nylander

Sim - Quillan - Lettieri

Hopkins*

McCabe - Tanev

Ekman-Larsson - Benoit

Smith*- Mermis

Webber - Villeneuve

Woll

Akhtyamov

*Holinka, Prokop with this group yesterday

Ottawa Senators

Captain Brady Tkachuk is on the ice for the Senators this morning, skating alongside Shane Pinto and Claude Giroux.

On the second line, Dylan Cozens is centering Michael Amadio and Olle Lycksell.

On defence, Jake Sanderson is skating with Artem Zub while 2024 seventh-overall pick Carter Yakemchuk is with Donovan Sebrango.

Washington Capitals

Star winger Alex Ovechkin was absent from practice on Friday as he deals with a lower-body injury.

Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery said Thursday that Ovechkin, 40, is considered day-to-day.

Ovechkin was non-committal on Thursday when asked if he knew if this, his 21st NHL season, would be his last.

“No, not yet,” Ovechkin said. “So, we’ll see what’s going to happen.”

Entering the final year of his current contract, Ovechkin scored 44 goals last season despite a broken leg that limited him to 65 games. His pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s mark of 894 goals was a highlight of the NHL season, and Ovechkin enters the 2025-26 campaign three shy of 900.