Player Discussion Kirby Dach: Welcome to Montreal part 2

[Lafleurs Guy]

Jeez LG, you don't give up easily lol. I don't see a center and you do so I am officially leaving this hill and I do care about what opposing fans have to say about former players, it helps me understand things about them. cheers.

Did you read my post?

You might be right man... maybe he's not the guy. I think he would've been had he not gotten hurt but he did. Like I said, things aren't what they were they're what they are. That injury f***ed things up.

 

[JianYang]

Well that's what is being recommended here. Put him at C, give him the time, and if he doesn't show any improvement then you move him to wing

The way I see it, it's much easier to find a good winger than a good center. The habs are not going anywhere this year so let's invest that time with him at center. If the worst case scenario happens and he can't get his game back, then it's probably better to part ways for both parties.

Besides, it's not like he's getting in anyone's way if he stays at center.... not like there is a young plekanec in the lineup that would make me think differently about this situation.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Called himself out pretty hard post game, let's see if he can self motivate.

Habs need to be proactive with Dach and Slaf with a sports psychologist right now because both of them need to be able to manufacture their own confidence rather than waiting for a positive result in a game to give them it.

 

[Goalfield13]

Did you read my post?

You might be right man... maybe he's not the guy. I think he would've been had he not gotten hurt but he did. Like I said, things aren't what they were they're what they are. That injury f***ed things up.

That sums up Dach's NHL career in a nutshell so far.

Called himself out pretty hard post game, let's see if he can self motivate.

Habs need to be proactive with Dach and Slaf with a sports psychologist right now because both of them need to be able to manufacture their own confidence rather than waiting for a positive result in a game to give them it.

I wouldn't lump Slaf in with Dach. Slaf is still 20 and is learning. There will be ups and downs with him for the next few years.

 

[Leon Lucius Black]

The best thing for him is to be put lower in the lineup with guys like Gallagher/Anderson who have been playing well.

If a player is struggling with confidence on the 2nd line, putting him on the 1st line and top PP only sets him up for disaster given the expectations are higher to produce.

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

If they felt he could handle it he would be there. We are last in the league(or close to it) and they won't even give him his own line. He is too passive, flubbing passes, late on pucks, and no physical game.

I went to the Hawks board a while ago and asked them about him and they described the same guy we are seeing now lol. I am always leery about young talented players who get traded away. There's usually always a reason, Zegras is another player that people screamed for on this board and that would have been something lol. Pierre Luc Dubois is another. Teams don't give up on those levels of talent unless there are cap issues or issues with the player.

This is exactly what I thought when we got Dach initially. I was neutral on the trade because I didn’t know enough about him but I was definitely suspicious about it.

I do feel like he played well enough in that first season to earn way more leeway then he’s getting from fans right now.

I shouldn’t be surprised because this is what happened with Caufield last year. I know we’re cursed but to have such little faith in our players must be maddening lol.

Dach could very well bust or be bad enough we want to be rid of him. It’s possible and even probable but man to be so convinced this guy’s done and it has nothing to do with being off for so long or nerves that could very well overcome doesn’t seem that reasonable.

 

[zzoo]

Laine has few weeks to get back in shape whereas Dach has the whole spring, the whole summer, training camp to prepare. Dach started to skate back in April, I think.

 

[Naslundforever]

The way I see it, it's much easier to find a good winger than a good center. The habs are not going anywhere this year so let's invest that time with him at center. If the worst case scenario happens and he can't get his game back, then it's probably better to part ways for both parties.

Besides, it's not like he's getting in anyone's way if he stays at center.... not like there is a young plekanec in the lineup that would make me think differently about this situation.

He’s neither right now. Also learning on the job while being the teacher’s pet would not be a great look for the other players.. 1C in Laval if learning asap is the goal I’d say, especially if they are trying to take a step forward with the big club and go from boys to men with accountability, merit, etc.

I don’t even like he’s taking up 4c spot, give him lots of ice and lower competition. Nothing to be ashamed of.

 

[26Mats]

Laine has few weeks to get back in shape whereas Dach has the whole spring, the whole summer, training camp to prepare. Dach started to skate back in April, I think.

Dash's injury was much more serious.

 

[OneSharpMarble]

I wouldn't lump Slaf in with Dach. Slaf is still 20 and is learning. There will be ups and downs with him for the next few years.

Dach blows out his knee, had major surgery and is out for a year and he gets 20 games and people are done. Slaf on the other hand who is perfectly healthy and playing like garbage gets until the end of time. xD

 

[SlafySZN]

Dach blows out his knee, had major surgery and is out for a year and he gets 20 games and people are done. Slaf on the other hand who is perfectly healthy and playing like garbage gets until the end of time. xD

We actually don’t know if he’s perfectly healthy, he wouldn’t have missed games otherwise this season.

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

We actually don’t know if he’s perfectly healthy, he wouldn’t have missed games otherwise this season.

I kept thinking this. If that’s the case though he should just sit. I get players wanna play but at the end of the day playing hurt is a lose/lose situation

 

[the valiant effort]

A year ago it felt like there was a small but loud chorus of nothing to worry about “his knee will be better than ever” thanks to advances in sports science. Hopefully that will prove true of course but the reality of major knee surgery is that it’s not a one-size-fits-all, universally smooth road to full recovery for a myriad of physical and mental reasons.

****! ****! ****! I want the Dach that toyed with the ‘23 Bruins again

 

[sampollock]

Walk the walk
Dach called him self out...so step up
Or shut up

 

[habmercy]

Dach appears to be no worse than much of the other players if we are using the Vegas game as a measure. The whole team appeared to be going through the motions for two periods before showing up for the third.
Too much practice time may be having a negative impact on our play. When Laine returns I would not be surprised to see some benching if the turnovers continue. It is not just Slaf and Dach who are struggling. The defense pairings appear to be getting better, but the forwards have quite a bit of work to do and St. Louis may need to set his lines for 4 or 5 games to get some chemistry going. We have a weird combination of youthful inexperience and long term injury inexperience that is clearly making things a lot more difficult. We cannot afford to get too far behind the pack and are going need some solid goaltending to keep us in the race.

 

[OneSharpMarble]

So what's the excuse for the rest of the team? The whole team is underachieving but the only people getting shit on around here seem to be Dach and newhook. Newsflash they aren't holding back our whole top 6.

 

[70Stang]

I had high hopes for Dach and I knew it would take him time to get going. The problem is he doesn't seem to be engaged at all. You can do a lot of good things if your not putting up goals or assists. That is my problem with him there is no effort/passion or urgency in his game. You have to work hard to get out of slumps and you have to earn it. He doesn't seem to be willing to put the effort in. I'm wishing him the best moving forward. It's time to turn it around.

 

[BozoTheClown]

Chicago, a rebuilding team traded this guy, a 6’4” 220 lbs 3rd overall pick, 3 years after drafting him. They saw the red flags, but Montreal took a chance despite them or they didn’t scouted him properly.

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

Walk the walk
Dach called him self out...so step up
Or shut up

Strategically timed self call out before games against Utah and Columbus.

Very brave, Kirby. Very brave.

 

[RationalExpectations]

So what's the excuse for the rest of the team? The whole team is underachieving but the only people getting shit on around here seem to be Dach and newhook. Newsflash they aren't holding back our whole top 6.

Well you are not allowed to criticize Salf because he is the next Jagr, Suzuki because he is the captain and the best point producer, Caufield because he scores goals, so it has to be them

 

[Sorinth]

I had high hopes for Dach and I knew it would take him time to get going. The problem is he doesn't seem to be engaged at all. You can do a lot of good things if your not putting up goals or assists. That is my problem with him there is no effort/passion or urgency in his game. You have to work hard to get out of slumps and you have to earn it. He doesn't seem to be willing to put the effort in. I'm wishing him the best moving forward. It's time to turn it around.

Often times players with low confidence look less engaged, skate less, seem lackadaisical because they are questioning their instincts and the NHL game is just to fast for that. By trying to be in the right position and not make a mistake you don't commit even when you really should which through the TV comes off as low effort, when it's really not an effort issue.

It would probably do Dach some good to watch a game or two from the press box, but it's less about it being a kick in the butt to get him working harder, and more about trying to reset himself mentally.

 

[ReHabs]

Cause you want to see how he responds to the message he sent himself. If I think a fire is lit, I'm gonna see if it is. If it was performative then the benching plus scratching will send a bigger message than just outright scratching and potentially snuffing something that you've been waiting to be lit.

I don't know man. Do you really think some media statement after a bad game is really indicative of something? You've cited this a few times now. I've heard many Habs players grumble about their own play to the media. It often doesn't change much. How many long losing streaks did we have before the rebuild started? 5-6-7-8 game losing streaks. Gallagher dutifully mumbling something to the microphones, Weber, Price, etc. It's mostly meaningless.

Putting my self in his shoes: he's frustrated, he wants to do better, etc. Sure, we can't possibly have cause to doubt that he wants to do well. Every player wants to do well.

But what is best for the good of the team?

This is professional sports -- it's nothing more than a game... but it's a highly competitive one with incredible salaries and attention and an inherent risk of danger -- if someone is struggling, out of pace, out of rhythm, etc. he's risking more than just the results on the ice. Dach needs to be treated even-handedly because he does NOT have a CV or a history of performances. There are young players like Roy who want to exploit the opportunities given to Dach. Evans is fighting for a new contract. Armia and Dvorak are as well. There's always someone who wants a shot. In the eyes of the roster and organization, I'm willing to bet that Dach has not earned the right to be a permanent fixture. Dogging it when the team is in a tailspin is the worst way he could play and he did it.

How I see it is he has to get scratched and sat so the whole team understands what's at stake. They're not getting the results regardless, so not putting in sufficient performances is unacceptable -- and if anything, his comments to the media reinforce his underperformance and his scratching won't come as a surprise.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Chicago, a rebuilding team traded this guy, a 6’4” 220 lbs 3rd overall pick, 3 years after drafting him. They saw the red flags, but Montreal took a chance despite them or they didn’t scouted him properly.

This isn’t at all like you suggest.

Chicago mismanaged his injuries badly. I don’t think Dach wanted to be there and at a minimum it was a mutually agreed upon divorce. And Dach showed while he was here that he can play the game. Unfortunately he got hurt - unrelated to the wrist problem in Chicago - and there’s no way anyone could have anticipated that.

It’s not a red flag situation. It’s a fluke injury that could’ve happened to anyone. It sucks and we’ll see where it goes but the idea that Chicago saw all these problems with him is absolute crap.

 

[Kobe Armstrong]

BREAKING NEWS: Crow Futures in Free Fall on HockeyForum Exchange

The Crow Market is in chaos today as overstocked investors reel from Dach’s ongoing struggles. Supply far exceeds demand, with some calling it the biggest crow bubble burst since the great “Slaf's an AHL player” debacle of 2023.

Sources report that multiple high-profile speculators (you know who you are) went all-in on crow early this season, confidently stockpiling a now-worthless surplus.

Market analysts remind forum members: The hockey season is long, and crow spoils faster than you’d think. But for now, the freezer aisle is packed, and there’s no sign of a rebound.