Player Discussion Kirby Dach (Part 3): TabarDach Edition!

[Lafleurs Guy]

100%

With or without Dach, we need a 2C.

I think this is true. Healthy or not, we need depth up front. Even if we keep Dach there (and I hope we can) we don’t have the depth to handle injuries.

Right now Suzuki is so indispensable to us because he’s the only productive consistently healthy center we have. If he went down we’d be dead and it shouldn’t be that way. We’re far too vulnerable at that position.

Chi was selling anything they could to increase their odds to land Bedard

That’s part of it.

The other part is they mismanaged his wrist injury very badly and there was some bad blood there.

The Habs did their due diligence on his wrist and up until now have been proven right. Unfortunately you can’t predict other injuries and that’s what happened here.

 

[Victoire HuGo]

Trading him now would be dumb. Might as well convert him to a winger. If Armia leaves our size on wing will take a hit.

 

[ReHabs]

Trading him now would be dumb. Might as well convert him to a winger. If Armia leaves our size on wing will take a hit.

He’d be a piece in a trade for a better player back, not the centrepiece himself — because he’s not particularly valuable to a competitive team and is almost certainly not going to be specifically asked about.

The injury he suffered was very badly timed and his awful recovery season (current one) basically ensures that unless he has a dominant year next season, he will have a lot of question marks and doubts over his head when it comes time to evaluate for his next contract as June 2026 comes around.

 

[Victoire HuGo]

He’d be a piece in a trade for a better player back, not the centrepiece himself — because he’s not particularly valuable to a competitive team and is almost certainly not going to be specifically asked about.

The injury he suffered was very badly timed and his awful recovery season (current one) basically ensures that unless he has a dominant year next season, he will have a lot of question marks and doubts over his head when it comes time to evaluate for his next contract as June 2026 comes around.

That's nice and all but you'd still be selling low.

 

[Habs]

Chi was selling anything they could to increase their odds to land Bedard

I still can't believe they drafted a D instead of Demidov to play with Bedard... even from a fans perspective or... , season ticket standpoint... people want goals and excitement, not a 'reliable D' while enduring a rebuild.

 

[Goalfield13]

I think Beck can easily take Dach's place next year with Demidov and Laine. I have been saying all year that Beck was already a better player. My first choice would be to find an established vet 2C for next year, but Beck would be option B.

 

[salbutera]

I still can't believe they drafted a D instead of Demidov to play with Bedard... even from a fans perspective or... , season ticket standpoint... people want goals and excitement, not a 'reliable D' while enduring a rebuild.

Just goes to show how much NHL “hockey people” value potential top pairing RDman ….

On last Fridays 32 Thoughts, Friedman said he was speaking to “hockey people from NHl, USA Hockey & Hockey Canada” and all hoped young & youth hockey players takeaway from 4-Nations was the importance of defensive awareness, for even with elite skill on display for Canada / US game, scoring opportunities were at a minimum w McDavids goal being scored due to the rare defensive breakdown Team USA had all tournament

 

[Le Tricolore]

I think Beck can easily take Dach's place next year with Demidov and Laine. I have been saying all year that Beck was already a better player. My first choice would be to find an established vet 2C for next year, but Beck would be option B.

Beck has played 8 games in the NHL and has zero points.

Demidov has played zero games in the NHL.

Laine needs someone to be able to set him up.

Going into next season with that as our #2 line is a horrible, horrible idea. The team wants to stop being a lottery team ata some point, and they need to have more than just one line producing in order to do that.

 

[ReHabs]

That's nice and all but you'd still be selling low.

Maybe this is news for you, or maybe not, but Dach’s contract expires in 2026. From now until then he will never be worth the 13OA pick Hughes gave CHI for him. Ever heard of the sunk cost fallacy? He’s never gonna be sold for a “high” value given the value spent in his acquisition.

 

[GlassesJacketShirt]

Maybe this is news for you, or maybe not, but Dach’s contract expires in 2026. From now until then he will never be worth the 13OA pick Hughes gave CHI for him. Ever heard of the sunk cost fallacy? He’s never gonna be sold for a “high” value given the value spent in his acquisition.

If someone believes in Dach's potential, including Hughes,

But I agree that if it's a question mark, selling him now does not necessarily mean selling him low either. I'll never forget when the hockey geniuses on TSN690 were saying that trading Drouin for a second rounder was "selling him at his lowest point." We all know that didn't end up being true.

Man, I've never been a Dach fan going back to his time with Saskatoon, and I'm still not a fan, but I do think his journey in the NHL hasn't given him a true chance to prove me wrong (which is what really matters at the end of the day :p). Eric Engels should be ashamed for suggesting Dach's missed season last year was not a wasted year.

 

[BJCOLLINS]

Dach is the Drouin at center V2, it didn't work then and it isn't working now.

Ouch! LOL, the end result (So far) is sad but true. The glaring difference, IMHO, Dach’s injuries have been 100% physical. Drouin’s #’1 hindrance was the 6 inches between his ears. Those of us that watched him as an elite junior player complained about his inability to play consistently with hard work & passion like his line mate MacKinnon.

 

[morhilane]

I still can't believe they drafted a D instead of Demidov to play with Bedard... even from a fans perspective or... , season ticket standpoint... people want goals and excitement, not a 'reliable D' while enduring a rebuild.

Taking the D over a F last draft isn't why they are awful to watch (Demidov wouldn't help this season anyhow). They are awful because Chicago flushed everyone and signed old and not very good players to play with Bedard.

 

[Habs]

Just goes to show how much NHL “hockey people” value potential top pairing RDman ….

On last Fridays 32 Thoughts, Friedman said he was speaking to “hockey people from NHl, USA Hockey & Hockey Canada” and all hoped young & youth hockey players takeaway from 4-Nations was the importance of defensive awareness, for even with elite skill on display for Canada / US game, scoring opportunities were at a minimum w McDavids goal being scored due to the rare defensive breakdown Team USA had all tournament

But the same hockey people were in love with countless busts, so teams have to think for themselves. The same hockey people that let Caufield and Hutson slip in the draft, are the same ones who will sacrifice a potential 50 goal scorer for a RHD .. it's silly after a while. Take BPA and don't look back.

Taking the D over a F last draft isn't why they are awful to watch (Demidov wouldn't help this season anyhow). They are awful because Chicago flushed everyone and signed old and not very good players to play with Bedard.

I disagree, Demidov would help Bedard immensely and improve moral on the ice by having more excitement for the fans. This is entertainment , nobody wants to see 10 years of the 90's NJD boring ass hockey anymore. Fans are paying big money for goals and exciting plays , not for a shutdown D