Player Discussion Kirby Dach: Welcome to Montreal part 2

[Lafleurs Guy]

I do. A healthy Dach could become our best player, as long as his injuries are bad luck and not an ongoing issue.

He had great numbers last year and was amazing in the preseason. I thought he’d surpass Suzuki this year. Hopefully this injury doesn’t hold him back next year. At minimum I expect him to be a solid second line center.

 

[BehindTheTimes]

I do. A healthy Dach could become our best player, as long as his injuries are bad luck and not an ongoing issue.

I don’t think so. Nick is very good.

 

[DAChampion]

I don’t think so. Nick is very good.

I like Suzuki's higher gear in the playoffs, but he's not a very good regular season warrior, just a merely good one.

 

[Lshap]

I don’t think so. Nick is very good.

Don't get me wrong – I love Suzuki. But Dach appears to have a more intense edge to his game, where he's relentless every single shift. Of course, you could argue that his style contributes to why he's been injured so often, while Suzuki remains unbreakable.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

I don’t think so. Nick is very good.

I disagree, I would not have been surprised at all to see a healthy Dach surpass Suzuki as the #1C. Dach's offensive potential is definitely higher as Nick can't keep his head together for long enough stretches to lead the team offensively.

Suzuki imo is a poor choice for captain as his effort is not consistent and he is a bit of an odd duck. Guhle will be the real leader of this team when they become good.

 

[Zilo44]

I disagree, I would not have been surprised at all to see a healthy Dach surpass Suzuki as the #1C. Dach's offensive potential is definitely higher as Nick can't keep his head together for long enough stretches to lead the team offensively.

Suzuki imo is a poor choice for captain as his effort is not consistent and he is a bit of an odd duck. Guhle will be the real leader of this team when they become good.

That a harsh assessment. Suzuki did not skip a single game during a 2 year tanking run. The guy goes out there with his teammates every single night.

 

[The Great Weal]

I don’t think so. Nick is very good.

People are downplaying Suzuki and really pumping Dach's tires based on a really small sample size. I like Dach, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's a 50-60 point player for us (which is still a great player with his frame and physicality). Much more likely than the #1C or Getzlaf clone that a good bit of people here are saying.

 

[No More Subban]

we desperately need both to be healthy. if one is out, it's going to be a real struggle for the other one to handle the added workload.

 

[Estimated_Prophet]

That a harsh assessment. Suzuki did not skip a single game during a 2 year tanking run. The guy goes out there with his teammates every single night.

His brains get scrambled for extended periods and he just plays with zero confidence during these extended stretches. I have seen him give up on plays way too often during these stretches and he just does not fight through it as hard as a leader should. I don't think he is lazy and I know he takes pride in suiting up for every game but he is very inconsistent and is not as mentally tough and confident as a captain needs to be. He is a weird dude and is naturally an introvert who probably would prefer to be left alone rather than be front and center.

Don't get me wrong, I am a huge fan of his game when he is on, he just isn't "on" as much as he should be as captain of the team. I am confident that he will be a more consistent player in the playoffs as he has always elevated his play in the postseason.....but shouldn't the leader of the team be playing closer to that level all the time?

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

His brains get scrambled for extended periods and he just plays with zero confidence during these extended stretches. I have seen him give up on plays way too often during these stretches and he just does not fight through it as hard as a leader should. I don't think he is lazy and I know he takes pride in suiting up for every game but he is very inconsistent and is not as mentally tough and confident as a captain needs to be. He is a weird dude and is naturally an introvert who probably would prefer to be left alone rather than be front and center.

Don't get me wrong, I am a huge fan of his game when he is on, he just isn't "on" as much as he should be as captain of the team. I am confident that he will be a more consistent player in the playoffs as he has always elevated his play in the postseason.....but shouldn't the leader of the team be playing closer to that level all the time?

He’s streaky. Sometimes I wonder if he’s playing hurt and is only playing to keep his streak going.

Solid two way player. He’s a poor man’s first but he’d be among the best in the league on the 2nd line.

 

[Jabba11]

Kirby Dach next year has to have a breakout season no matter what. This kid is the most talented player on our team and with the best skillset and physicality. He's my #1 center for next year. Hope he can put injuries in his past once in for all. He has higher potential than Nick IMO.

 

[Ezpz]

In some ways he was lucky his injury happened in the second game of the season. He should be cleared not long before the end of this season so he should the entire off-season at full health. If it has happened in December or something he would be just getting cleared as the season starts with no chance to get into shape.

 

[Andrei79]

Kirby Dach next year has to have a breakout season no matter what. This kid is the most talented player on our team and with the best skillset and physicality. He's my #1 center for next year. Hope he can put injuries in his past once in for all. He has higher potential than Nick IMO.

He'll have missed an entire season. I think expectations should be tempered for next year.

 

[BLONG7]

Such a shame for Dach, and of course the habs...........let's hope everything goes fine, and he returns next season fully healed and ready to go.............
He and Suzuki are a great 1-2 combo.............Dach does have the skill to be every bit as good as Nick.

 

[Deebs]

Such a shame for Dach, and of course the habs...........let's hope everything goes fine, and he returns next season fully healed and ready to go.............
He and Suzuki are a great 1-2 combo.............Dach does have the skill to be every bit as good as Nick.

Skill is one thing but Suzuki thinks the game as well as anyone in the league and that's his biggest asset. Both are solid players for different reasons. As you say, could be a great 1-2 punch moving forward.

 

[Ozmodiar]

People are downplaying Suzuki and really pumping Dach's tires based on a really small sample size. I like Dach, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's a 50-60 point player for us (which is still a great player with his frame and physicality). Much more likely than the #1C or Getzlaf clone that a good bit of people here are saying.

Let’s hope he can come back healthy next season and complement Suzuki as part of a 1-2 punch down the middle.

Having said that, I wouldn’t be surprised if HuGo target a center (or C/W) in the draft to hedge their bets. We’ve seen what losing depth down the middle does to a team. Monahan, Dvo, Dach - too many lost games. HuGo knows the CC-NS-Dach line looked good.

 

[Ozmodiar]

He'll have missed an entire season. I think expectations should be tempered for next year.

My expectation, or hope, for next season is full health.

 

[BehindTheTimes]

I disagree, I would not have been surprised at all to see a healthy Dach surpass Suzuki as the #1C. Dach's offensive potential is definitely higher as Nick can't keep his head together for long enough stretches to lead the team offensively.

Suzuki imo is a poor choice for captain as his effort is not consistent and he is a bit of an odd duck. Guhle will be the real leader of this team when they become good.

I disagree with everything you’ve stated. I think Nick is not only the better offensive talent, but also better defensively. Suzuki suffers from this team not having any offense outside of him and Caufield up front.

The blame is being pointed at the wrong players. I don’t know about Guhle. He’s solid, but I’m not sure if we have a true top pairing guy there or not. These kids have stalled imo, so much for our new development approach. Not sure it is working, but we shall see in time.

 

[Redux91]

Still miss you bad boo!

 

[Scriptor]

I disagree with everything you’ve stated. I think Nick is not only the better offensive talent, but also better defensively. Suzuki suffers from this team not having any offense outside of him and Caufield up front.

The blame is being pointed at the wrong players. I don’t know about Guhle. He’s solid, but I’m not sure if we have a true top pairing guy there or not. These kids have stalled imo, so much for our new development approach. Not sure it is working, but we shall see in time.

Clearly a sign of impatience.

 

[Andrei79]

I disagree with everything you’ve stated. I think Nick is not only the better offensive talent, but also better defensively. Suzuki suffers from this team not having any offense outside of him and Caufield up front.

The blame is being pointed at the wrong players. I don’t know about Guhle. He’s solid, but I’m not sure if we have a true top pairing guy there or not. These kids have stalled imo, so much for our new development approach. Not sure it is working, but we shall see in time.

The young players have absolutely not stalled, what a strange comment.

 

[BehindTheTimes]

Clearly a sign of impatience.

I said let’s wait and see, because I don’t anoint a guy a number one dman or top pairing dman until evidence supports that claim I am impatient. Good one.

 

[BehindTheTimes]

The latest additions to the family. A couple of buy low options I found.

 

[Wateredgarden]

He will have a similar season than last one before getting his progression back on track. Missing a complete season is too much for even Sidney Crosby to come back at full potential.

 

[ole ole]

Dach confesses he almost gave up everything!​

At a certain point, for a reason impossible to explain, the Blackhawks asked him to become a third-line defensive player. Excuse me?

They wanted to make him a 100% defensive player and they no longer allowed him to create offensively, according to Kirby's own words.

It literally broke his heart.

He really would have liked a bigger role in the lineup, but the Hawks didn't want to hear anything about it. He really felt that Chicago turned its back on him for no reason.

"There were too many things happening at the same time. Those were dark times and I wondered if I was capable of continuing. Hockey became boring because that's not the player I am. I am not just a defensive center." - Kirby Dach

You can feel his emotion when he talks about it. He then mentions that sometimes, he simply didn't feel like playing hockey anymore and he almost gave up.

Let's just say that his trade to the Montreal Canadiens was possibly the best news of his career.

He adds that playing for a head coach like Martin St-Louis is really special for him.

Clearly, he adores Martin.

"When he placed me on the 1st line with Caufield and Suzuki, it helped me a lot, but a lot, to regain confidence." - Kirby Dach

As for his current injury, Kirby mentions that he is still progressing at the moment and that it helps him a lot to see the "game" from above and to analyze everything.