Player Discussion Kirby Dach: Welcome to Montreal part 2

[Miller Time]

Monahan is slower, more brittle, and less dynamic today than before his many injuries. This is why his team paid us to get rid of him.

Nope. They paid to get rid of him because they were under a cap crunch that made patience with his recovery difficult. Moving his cap hit was necessary to add Huberdeau, Kadri & Weegar.

Stating poorly grounded opinions as if they are facts makes for bad takes.

Fortunately for the Habs, they have the ability to be patient with Dach, even if some fans are too impatient and short sighted to accept that.

 

[VT]

Monahan is playing excellent in Columbus.

 

[Justsayin]

Dach was never going to be what he was pre-injury until the end of this season. No one seriously suggested that it was reasonable to think otherwise. We are 25 games in. Dach is not back to his pre-injury performance yet. I am actually surprised he looks this good this early. His skating looks good. He doesn't seem afraid of contact (re-injury). He's showing flashes of great vsion. What expectations exactly is he not living up to?

 

[Non Player Canadiens]

Monahan is playing excellent in Columbus.

but we didn't want to pay a very good vet 5.5x5!!!

 

[Colezuki]

Dach was never going to be what he was pre-injury until the end of this season. No one seriously suggested that it was reasonable to think otherwise. We are 25 games in. Dach is not back to his pre-injury performance yet. I am actually surprised he looks this good this early. His skating looks good. He doesn't seem afraid of contact (re-injury). He's showing flashes of great vsion. What expectations exactly is he not living up to?

Random posters and fans unrealistic expectations

 

[WeThreeKings]

but we didn't want to pay a very good vet 5.5x5!!!

Yea for good reason. His skating isn't going to get better.

 

[Andy]

Someone posted a highlights video from last season. It's clear he lost his first step when comparing his current play to last year.

And it makes sense. That slow first step causes him to lose his time and space very quickly.

 

[Andy]

Moving the goal posts much? You asked for examples of players who paced for 30pts after getting injured and then put up 60+ points afterwards. Monahan got injured, paced for 29 points in his final year in Calgary and has put up a 61 point pace since then.

Now you want to move the goal posts and have someone who got injured and had no history of producing before. Something tells me even if I give you a name who satisfies your brand new can't have broken out before the injury goal post shifting you'll try to find some other excuse of why they shouldn't count.

Sean Couturier.
Brayden Schenn.

 

[VT]

but we didn't want to pay a very good vet 5.5x5!!!

It is this season with Chinakhov/Voronkov and Marchenko on wings, Werenski, Provorov and Severson in defense. Also we played only 24 games. We will see how next.

 

[OneSharpMarble]

Dach was never going to be what he was pre-injury until the end of this season. No one seriously suggested that it was reasonable to think otherwise. We are 25 games in. Dach is not back to his pre-injury performance yet. I am actually surprised he looks this good this early. His skating looks good. He doesn't seem afraid of contact (re-injury). He's showing flashes of great vsion. What expectations exactly is he not living up to?

They're angry because they thought the Habs were going to be dominating right now and Dach is the whipping boy for all that is wrong in their world. Thank god that the management are giving him a chance to regain his form and aren't reactionary clowns that want to waive him 20 games in.

 

[Don D]

Dach was never going to be what he was pre-injury until the end of this season. No one seriously suggested that it was reasonable to think otherwise. We are 25 games in. Dach is not back to his pre-injury performance yet. I am actually surprised he looks this good this early. His skating looks good. He doesn't seem afraid of contact (re-injury). He's showing flashes of great vsion. What expectations exactly is he not living up to?

Wish Dach all the best. Often, some posts on HF really vilify players while others support them. Do not mean to do either, just point out some observation.
Laine has had approximately 11 injuries, personal issues and just returned last night.
Dach's injuries were different, but point is, he has not played well so far. Not meant as a criticism.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Dach was never going to be what he was pre-injury until the end of this season. No one seriously suggested that it was reasonable to think otherwise. We are 25 games in. Dach is not back to his pre-injury performance yet. I am actually surprised he looks this good this early. His skating looks good. He doesn't seem afraid of contact (re-injury). He's showing flashes of great vsion. What expectations exactly is he not living up to?

I thought he’d be rusty.

I did not think he’d be terrible. A healthy Dach could be a 60+ point player. I had him at 50+.

Now it looks like he might not hit 30.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Random posters and fans unrealistic expectations

Injuries have a lot of variance in how players come back. You'd think he’d come back and say he’s lost a step. You don’t expect him to come back and look like he doesn’t know how to play.

 

[Naslundforever]

Dach was never going to be what he was pre-injury until the end of this season. No one seriously suggested that it was reasonable to think otherwise. We are 25 games in. Dach is not back to his pre-injury performance yet. I am actually surprised he looks this good this early. His skating looks good. He doesn't seem afraid of contact (re-injury). He's showing flashes of great vsion. What expectations exactly is he not living up to?

I don’t have expectations for him because I am not attached to the idea of him as a top 6 or a center. He’s a bonus at this point if he ever works it out. Right now he is a detriment and there are many paths for him that don’t involve being 2c or on the pp or late game situations, it’s not a fail to play better players more and shop for a 2C and does not mean he’s out of a job. He can look to guys like Anderson and Gallagher for inspiration there.

btw you are the only person I’ve heard stating you are surprised how good he looks, so good for you for not being afraid to share your opinion.

 

[HuGort]

Yea for good reason. His skating isn't going to get better.

It will but like Radulov. Get three good years out of Monahan. Free agents usually won't sign here. Caproom likely not a problem on back end of deal.

 

[Habssince89]

By the end of the season, I want to see clear improvement in both his first step and his production. If there's some progress there, then you can see he's still trending forward, and a big summer (ie the first normal one for him in a while) is ahead and next season becomes the make or break for his general career trajectory. Will he be a 2C, 3C, or 2RW, 3RW? No Idea. But I don't think this year will show a conclusive answer on where Dach will end up as a player.

 

[WeThreeKings]

It will but like Radulov. Get three good years out of Monahan. Free agents usually won't sign here. Caproom likely not a problem on back end of deal.

It will definitely be. Slaf extension kicks in next year. Hutson will need an extension after next season. Demidov will need an extension after his ELC.

Putting bad money on the books for a guy who is only going to be effective for what would likely be one year of actual playoff play, not a wise investment.

 

[BLONG7]

Can Dach turn this around?
I thought we would see improvement at this point during the season................expected a tough 20 games, but then better. I was wrong......
Will it take 30? 40 games?
The whole season?? I believe tis kid has the tools, and can return to being a very good top 6 player, and glad we have not given him away in a knee jerk reaxtion type of trade.

 

[WeThreeKings]

Can Dach turn this around?
I thought we would see improvement at this point during the season................expected a tough 20 games, but then better. I was wrong......
Will it take 30? 40 games?
The whole season?? I believe tis kid has the tools, and can return to being a very good top 6 player, and glad we have not given him away in a knee jerk reaxtion type of trade.

It could take all season and we have the ability to wait.

I think what we are seeing for Dach is it's likely going to be small incremental improvements vs a leap.

 

[26Mats]

It could take all season and we have the ability to wait.

I think what we are seeing for Dach is it's likely going to be small incremental improvements vs a leap.

The only thing him not being all the way back tells me is that it will take him more than a quarter of a season to get all the way back.

That doesn't mean he will get all the way back. But it's wayyyy too early to make a judgement now. If he's not all the way back even at the end of this season, I just make sure my plan for next year doesn't have him playing a big role. He may even take two years to get back and only be back to his trajectory in 2026-27.

 

[Rapala]

Monahan is playing excellent in Columbus.

Monahan has always been an excellent player.

 

[The Last Red]

Can Dach turn this around?
I thought we would see improvement at this point during the season................expected a tough 20 games, but then better. I was wrong......
Will it take 30? 40 games?
The whole season?? I believe tis kid has the tools, and can return to being a very good top 6 player, and glad we have not given him away in a knee jerk reaxtion type of trade.

There’s no downside that I can think of in giving him the whole season to get his game back. We don’t have a replacement for him anyway and we aren’t making the playoffs regardless..

 

[vokiel]

There’s no downside that I can think of in giving him the whole season to get his game back. We don’t have a replacement for him anyway.

I agree, feed the tank with some Kirby Dachsund.

 

[Lafleurs Guy]

Dach was never going to be what he was pre-injury until the end of this season. No one seriously suggested that it was reasonable to think otherwise. We are 25 games in. Dach is not back to his pre-injury performance yet. I am actually surprised he looks this good this early. His skating looks good. He doesn't seem afraid of contact (re-injury). He's showing flashes of great vsion. What expectations exactly is he not living up to?

I mean, there's rusty and then there's putrid. In some games he's looked completely lost. I figured he'd be rusty but...

All that being said, he seems to have improved in the past few games. Working his way out of it and playing with Laine will really help.

 

[dackelljuneaubulis02]

I only saw the first two periods but I didn't see a lost cause. That one play to Slaf while he was falling was dynamite. It seems like it'll just take time. Seems like he's been improving which at the end of the day is what matters.

That line was pretty fun and I don't think any of them are playing their best. Give them some time and they could easily be a 1b or even a 1a line.