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In Hainsight: What to Expect from Kirby Dach |
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Follow me @KarineHains for all updates about the Montreal Canadiens and women's hockey
When general manager rocked the 2022 NHL draft with a pair of trades to acquire Kirby Dach, some were skeptical. They lamented the loss of fan favorite and easy-going defenseman Alexander Romanov and they weren’t sure if the newly acquire Dach could ever reach the potential scouts saw in him when he was drafted by Chicago back in 2019. One year on, nobody is talking about Romanov (the fresh crop of blueliners that graduated last year helped in that respect) and Dach has had a career year while only skating in 58 contests. Over 82 games, that rhythm would have seen him reach 54 points. His 38 points were a 12-point improvement over his tally from the previous season in which he played 70 games.
Like so many Habs, Dach was bitten hard by the injury bug including a non-Covid illness which degenerated and turned into a lower body injury and then by an upper-body one which ended his season. Clearly, Dach’s number one goal for the year will be to stay healthy while putting up the same kind of numbers he did last season.
When Hughes signed his new acquisition to a four-year $3.3 million contract, he essentially told Dach, «We believe in your potential, we want you around long-term, now show us what you can do”. Clearly, Dach heard him loud and clear and now in the second year of that contract, you can expect Dach to spend more time at center and to break the 50-point mark. While it’s undeniable that he’s got a good chemistry with Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, the organization has repeatedly said that they see him as a center in the long run and if he’s to improve in that role, he “needs to get some reps in” as head coach Martin St-Louis would say.
Furthermore, there’s a lot to be said about not putting all your eggs in the same basket so to speak, and to build a winning team, you need more than one productive line. Last season, some medias and fans were floating the idea that perhaps, Dach should be the Canadiens’ first line center and play with Caufield on his wing. I think that’s a very premature call. Granted, we’ve not seen all of what Dach’s got to offer, but he’s got a lot of work to do to overtake Suzuki in my opinion.
Still, the big center should find himself with better linemates this coming year as long as the team stays relatively healthy. Once Dvorak is ready to play, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Sean Monahan play alongside Dach on the second line and perhaps Alex Newhook, once he’s gotten used to the Canadiens’ style of play on the third line. That way, Dach could benefit from Monahan’s experience and learn from him while also playing with talented linemates. If he struggles in the face-off circle, Monahan can step in for him as well.
In short, I fully expect Dach to keep pushing for greatness this season and prove us all once more that Hughes’ first big gamble at the helm was a winning one.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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