I think he’s been playing a lot on the wing too. Against Vegas he took just one face off. Carpenter had 15, Smith had 5.

Far too early in his career to make him a true center and keep him there if it weakens the overall lineup.

Right now the way he’s playing he would look great on Toews wing. Shaw makes much more sense as a 4th liner/grinder than Kirby Dach.
- SimpleJack

He could be the heir to Toews, maybe? Idk about weakening the line-up, we are winning. But I get your point & see your concern.

Honestly I said the same of Fortin in camp. Too much depth to let him take up a spot. Offer to release him or send to Indy. I’d like to see Wedin up next if the opportunity arises.
- Assman22

Agree, Fortin is taking playing time away from a more promising prospect which is Soderlund right now and also Hakkarainen who has been out with an injury since game one.

I like Wedin but think he tops out as a pro who works hard but doesn't do anything special. While there's nothing wrong with that and teams need those type of lunch pail players, the Hawks aren't in short supply of them either.

Would much rather see Sikura or Highmore get the nod first but think it will be Wedin because of Colliton's love for Swedes (sort of tongue in cheek, sort of not).

James Mirtle
✔
@mirtle

The Leafs have two regulation wins in their last 14 games.
2,252
8:51 PM - Nov 15, 2019
- Mr Ricochet

And something like 14 of next 16 on the road including 2 separate western trips.

Theo, how has Regula looked?

If Dach is a center & doing well as a center, shouldn't he continue to play/develop as a center?
- I Am The Breadman

In regards to Dach. Am I the only one that has major concerns about the hits he's been taking ?

He's already had one concussion and I fear that teams will continue to run at him until somebody on this team steps-up and helps the kid out.

Kirby Dach will be an outstanding 1C in the future with great hands, good speed, size, and smarts. Yes he will add muscle and strength in time but I just don't want to see him become gun-shy and injury riddled in his rookie year.

If there's nobody on this team to provide some push-back, then who might be available to acquire to put some element of fear in opposing teams ?

Would Ryan Reaves be an option as a 4th liner just to make teams think about running him all the time ??

Thanks good info . Never was sold on Delia .Remember Soderlund during WJC was said if he only PK for the HAWKS they have a winner .
- oldduffman

Not much confidence when Delia is in net. Letting in a lot of shots from the outside especially from far out. Lots of pressure on his mates to score 4+ goals to have a chance at winning.

The potential is there for Delia to still emerge as at least an NHL backup but so far he is playing like a 3rd string goalie behind Lankinen and Tomkins despite being tagged as the starter.

Okay, looks good & has me excited for the future. Yeah, I know there are currently no spots available, just wanted to ignore that for the moment.

I love the Shaw trade, both I guess, but wasn't Krys one of the pics we used in that trade? I'm not trying to be greedy, well sort of, but what is wrong with his play? Develop slower, or what?
- I Am The Breadman

I took into account your point about no spots available in my post so just wanted to make that clear to others on the board. Credit goes to you.

The Shaw trade to the Habs netted two 2nd round picks which resulted in DeBrincat and Krys. Even if the Hawks didn't get Shaw back, that was a superb trade in retrospect.

Theo, how has Regula looked?
- I Am The Breadman

Don't know honestly. I don't have any opportunities to watch junior games so unfortunately can't see any of Regula's games.

In regards to Dach. Am I the only one that has major concerns about the hits he's been taking ?

He's already had one concussion and I fear that teams will continue to run at him until somebody on this team steps-up and helps the kid out.

Kirby Dach will be an outstanding 1C in the future with great hands, good speed, size, and smarts. Yes he will add muscle and strength in time but I just don't want to see him become gun-shy and injury riddled in his rookie year.

If there's nobody on this team to provide some push-back, then who might be available to acquire to put some element of fear in opposing teams ?

Would Ryan Reaves be an option as a 4th liner just to make teams think about running him all the time ??
- Hawkytalk

I've been worried about Dach too, teams taking liberties & what not.

I personally don't like Reaves at all, so I say no.

Don't know honestly. I don't have any opportunities to watch junior games so unfortunately can't see any of Regula's games.
- AEL_Fox

For some reason I thought he was with Rock. My bad, sorry.

Agree with your other post on the Montreal trade. Great move by Bowman.

In regards to Dach. Am I the only one that has major concerns about the hits he's been taking ?

He's already had one concussion and I fear that teams will continue to run at him until somebody on this team steps-up and helps the kid out.

Kirby Dach will be an outstanding 1C in the future with great hands, good speed, size, and smarts. Yes he will add muscle and strength in time but I just don't want to see him become gun-shy and injury riddled in his rookie year.

If there's nobody on this team to provide some push-back, then who might be available to acquire to put some element of fear in opposing teams ?

Would Ryan Reaves be an option as a 4th liner just to make teams think about running him all the time ??
- Hawkytalk

I don't know if it necessarily requires bringing in a Reaves (too much salary anyway).
I really like seeing both Cat and Gusto answering to the BS rough stuff this year. May it inspire the other 'Hawks to do so. It's the kind of stuff that solidifies the team as a whole.

In regards to Dach. Am I the only one that has major concerns about the hits he's been taking ?

He's already had one concussion and I fear that teams will continue to run at him until somebody on this team steps-up and helps the kid out.

Kirby Dach will be an outstanding 1C in the future with great hands, good speed, size, and smarts. Yes he will add muscle and strength in time but I just don't want to see him become gun-shy and injury riddled in his rookie year.

If there's nobody on this team to provide some push-back, then who might be available to acquire to put some element of fear in opposing teams ?

Would Ryan Reaves be an option as a 4th liner just to make teams think about running him all the time ??
- Hawkytalk

Aren’t we among the league leaders in hits? Just about every offseason addition we made brought us toughness and physicality. And still not enough? Now we need to add Ryan Reaves? Dude c’mon...

I've been worried about Dach too, teams taking liberties & what not.

I personally don't like Reaves at all, so I say no.
- I Am The Breadman

I'd rather have Shaw with him but honestly he hasn't avoided contact, he still goes to the front of the net, as he was getting off the ice a week ago someone tried to create contact and obstruct him and he put the player down. If he keeps scoring and being productive eventually the refs will start calling the late hit, cross check, and interference penalties.

Im sure Dach is soaking this all in and he's only going to get bigger and stronger. I can't wait when he flips the script and he starts punishing them.

For some reason I thought he was with Rock. My bad, sorry.

Agree with your other post on the Montreal trade. Great move by Bowman.
- I Am The Breadman

No worries. Best guess is Regula is with the Hogs next season along with Moberg who are in their 3rd and 4th years respectively in juniors.

Then the season after, I would expect Vlasic to go pro as he has stated he's likely doing 2 years at BU.

And if the Hawks remain high on him, Galvas could join Rockford as early as next season if it's easy to break his Finnish pro league contract.

He could be the heir to Toews, maybe? Idk about weakening the line-up, we are winning. But I get your point & see your concern.
- I Am The Breadman

That could very well be the trajectory. Dach as 1C and Strome as 2C then Toews as 3C.

Vegas just put Toews’ next winger on waivers - Brandon Pirri.
- DarthKane

Already have his equal ...goes by the name Nylander.

Interesting article by Powers about Dach in ‘The Athletic’. Here’s the beginning:

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Do you ever watch a Blackhawks game and feel like rookie Kirby Dach is taking a lot of hits?

Well, you’d be right.

There’s no other player who takes more hits per 60 minutes in five-on-five. He’s taken a league-high 16.61 hits per 60 minutes (minimum 100 minutes), according to Natural Stat Trick. In total, he’s absorbed 34 hits in 122:48 of five-on-five.

Against the Vegas Golden Knights in Wednesday’s game, the stats crew recorded Dach being hit six times. No other Blackhawks player was hit more than three times.

Not much confidence when Delia is in net. Letting in a lot of shots from the outside especially from far out. Lots of pressure on his mates to score 4+ goals to have a chance at winning.

The potential is there for Delia to still emerge as at least an NHL backup but so far he is playing like a 3rd string goalie behind Lankinen and Tomkins despite being tagged as the starter.
- AEL_Fox

The list of names who have had a Cup of coffee in the NHL as goaltenders is virtually endless.

There are the true young great NHL prospects who elevate quickly thru the minors and land in the NHL and stay there a long time - Price, Fleury, Quick, Rask and a few others. Look for Carter Hart and Thatcher Demko to be part of the next group.

Most of the rest like Delia never make it. NHL shooters expose those guys quickly and they never recover to be seen again in the NHL. Bowman did something quite smart to sign Lehner and give his team a chance with 2 NHL goaltenders. Delia likely will never be seen again in an NHL uniform.

There are standouts who are distancing themselves so far as players who could play roles on the Hawks. The toughest part is that there are no spots available so I put a guess at timeline for each of them. Most would seem to be ready by the date listed but may not have a chance until later unless there are injuries and/or trades.

FORWARD
Sikura (2019-20)
Highmore (2019-20)
Entwistle (2020-21)
Kurashev (2021-22)
Soderlund (2021-22)
Johnson (2021-22)

DEFENSE
Boqvist (2019-20)
Carlsson (2019-20)
Beaudin (2021-22)
Krys (2021-22)

Even though Gilbert was most improved Hog last season from start to finish, he really hasn't been that good this season in Rockford even after his stint with the Hawks. For a big guy, he gets knocked around a lot.
- AEL_Fox

Thanks, AEL. Saw that Ben Pope said he doesn't believe that D Sikura is thought of as an NHL player by the Hawks. Do you get that sense at all (I'm assuming not because you have him listed)? But, have you heard any rumblings about that potential?

In regards to Dach. Am I the only one that has major concerns about the hits he's been taking ?


- Hawkytalk

He's shown no fear and to make that worse his head is down on many of those hits and many are in open ice, the worst kind........... Yes, there's a concern IMO but by simply keeping his head up he'll limit the shots he's taking.

Great article by Justin Bourne in ‘The Athletic’ about TB & TOR going too far in emphasizing skill over other attributes. If you don’t subscribe to TA, you really should.

Here’s the beginning:

There were a few quotes in the wake of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s absolute rout of the New York Rangers that caught my eye, and played into a theory that’s been slowly forming between my ears. In the spirit of not burying the lede, that theory looks something like this: a few NHL teams saw the direction the NHL was heading in terms of style of play before most other teams did, they loaded up on speed and skill, were right about said direction … only they took it too far.

Imagine if 15 years ago an NBA team came to believe that 3-point shooting was more valuable than the rest of the league realized – they’d have been right – so they built a 15-man roster of strictly 3-point specialists, regardless of their height, defensive abilities or other attributes. They’d have found themselves making a ton of 3s, and that would’ve provided them with a nice advantage on many nights. But boy, that singular focus may have cost them on the glass when their shooting was off, they may have been unable to get stops at the other end, and while they may have won a lot of games, their more perimeter group may not have been able to hang in physical playoff contests against more well-rounded opponents.

You probably felt me straying from the basketball analogy a little bit toward the end there, which is where we loop it back to the Tampa Bay Lightning, and yes, the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The list of names who have had a Cup of coffee in the NHL as goaltenders is virtually endless.

There are the true young great NHL prospects who elevate quickly thru the minors and land in the NHL and stay there a long time - Price, Fleury, Quick, Rask and a few others. Look for Carter Hart and Thatcher Demko to be part of the next group.

Most of the rest like Delia never make it. NHL shooters expose those guys quickly and they never recover to be seen again in the NHL. Bowman did something quite smart to sign Lehner and give his team a chance with 2 NHL goaltenders. Delia likely will never be seen again in an NHL uniform.
- RickJ

Add Igor Shesterkin to that list. NYR 4th rd pick allowed to develop slowly. Read more than once the best goalie not in the NHL. https://www.eliteprospect...r/195577/igor-shestyorkin

Kid who lost to MTL last night is gonna be a good one too, Ilya Samsonov. A ssumed the Caps don't resign Holtby and the kid starts as their #1 next yr: https://www.eliteprospect...ayer/277797/ilya-samsonov

Hart just turned 21 with an August birthday had a helluva run as a 20 yr old with PHI late last yr going 16-13. Like how the Flyers are working him in with Elliotte. League adjusted to him this yr, kid was pulled in IIRC 2 of his first 5 starts this yr never getting a .900 SPG in those games, they sat him a few and he's reeled off 4 games in a row above a .900 SPG......... It should be noted that the coaching change in Philly to Vingeult has the Flyers allowing the least amount of SOG in the league so far.

Same thing in EDM, from near last in GA last yr to 5th this yr with Tippett behind the bench and that's with Mike Smith as the #1.

Already have his equal ...goes by the name Nylander.
- Ogilthorpe2

TBD. Pirri has a better shot, Nylander is a much better skater.

Reaves is not going anywhere. The fanbase in Vegas love him more than some of their stars. Consider the fact they kept him over Haula, that's all you need to know.

Looking for a good effort tonight, let Rinne know he’s is in a game. Need some guys parked in front of the net, and make life miserable for him. Hopefully we get two points, but I’m okay if we take three points this weekend. Go Hawks!