Player Discussion Kirby Dach: Welcome to Montreal

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Who has a better season this year? Dach or Romanov? Not going to dwell on it but curious. Both going to new teams and I would assume Dach gets more opportunity?

I think we can guess on how MSL will use Dach. But how does the Islanders use Romanov? Last year Romanov got 64% of D zone starts with a 41% corsi. Very curious to see how they use Romaonv this coming season.
It really was a great trade when you look at it like that. Romanov is a young stud top 4, but don’t think the ceiling is much greater than what he is. Also Romanov is an LD.

Dach is a C and is just scratching the surface. The top 6 C upside is legit, and so is the potential for stardom. Don’t think that outcome potential exists for Romanov.
 
It really was a great trade when you look at it like that. Romanov is a young stud top 4, but don’t think the ceiling is much greater than what he is. Also Romanov is an LD.

Dach is a C and is just scratching the surface. The top 6 C upside is legit, and so is the potential for stardom. Don’t think that outcome potential exists for Romanov.

I was a big fan of both Romanov and Dach. It is a good trade.

Romanov is more sound in the D zone as a defenseman but how much points can he generate as he moves towards his prime? Not sure. I think the Emelin comparison from when he was drafted is legit.

Dach is not a complete 200' center but that offensive game with his skating/size/vision has lots of potential. And I do trust MSL will get the best out of him
 
Anyone remember his projection heading into his draft? I didn’t follow the top of that draft too much. Franchise C? 1C? 2C? No revisionist history please. He’s obviously had a rocky start to his career and his projected ceiling has undoubtedly dropped.
he was being compared to Ryan Getzlaf not a franchise player but elite 2 way center
 
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he was being compared to Ryan Getzlaf not a franchise player but elite 2 way center

Personally, I get the pre draft comparison towards Getzlaf but after his pro sample size, I'm thinking Seguin or Spezza types.

Dach is an offensive type center that needs 200' and faceoff development. I think he can mature in those areas but not so sure it becomes a personal strength. We will see. His skating/skill/vision is very good though.
 
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See legendary 2003 draft class:
- 3-years post draft Eric Staal would’ve been the unanimous best player
- 5-years post draft it would’ve been Jeff Carter / Mike Richards
- 8-years post draft Getzlaf, Perry, Weber
- Today it would be hard pressed for anyone to say either Bergeron or Pavelski were not the cream of that cuvée…
Nice find..........interesting how it all ages, bottom line, the guys who are not generational ( Ovie, Crosby, McJesus) types of players who continue to produce as they age, the rest is a crapshoot how it all unfolds.
There can be gems later in the draft, Bergeron, Markov types are out there.....
I will keep saying it, there is something about grabbing Dach that gets me thinking this is going to be a great move.....
Stay tuned.
 
I think Dach has potential to put up points but I am not sure he becomes a complete 200' guy and good on faceoffs. Areas of the game he can mature over time but not sure it becomes a strength like Suzuki. However, I do value his skating, vision, and skill.

A lot of people are thinking Slaf with Suzuki/Caufield and I can certainly see that but Slaf with Dach might be good too! What wingers do each line get? We will see. A possibility we have two very good lines.

For the 1st season of Slafkovsky, we can put him on 2nd/3rd line, but after that... we can certainly hope a Slafkovsky - Suzuki - Caufield line in the future for long time.

I think Josh Anderson is the perfect winger for a player like Kirby Dach, Dach need to play with his size, Anderson is the perfect mentor for that.

Andy is a leader, he is a beast at training, he is that type of guy who can certainly help young guys like Dach. Dach is a great playmaker and Anderson can score and use his physical ability, can make space for Dach and his great offensive talent.
 
For the 1st season of Slafkovsky, we can put him on 2nd/3rd line, but after that... we can certainly hope a Slafkovsky - Suzuki - Caufield line in the future for long time.

I think Josh Anderson is the perfect winger for a player like Kirby Dach, Dach need to play with his size, Anderson is the perfect mentor for that.

Andy is a leader, he is a beast at training, he is that type of guy who can certainly help young guys like Dach. Dach is a great playmaker and Anderson can score and use his physical ability, can make space for Dach and his great offensive talent.

I can see many different combo's. I'm not the type to stack talent 1/1 from 1st to 4th lines. NHL coaches don't do that and if you think they do, Anderson would have played full time with Suzuki and Caufield from Feb 10th+ when MSL was hired. Even Ducharme didn't do it.

My eyes are building a very strong 6 guys on D and a very strong top 9. If we can accomplish that, that is going to give other teams fits in the match-up game which is a big deal in the NHL.

I do like Anderson with Dach as well. Maybe Farell fits well with them and Slav fits well with Suzuki/Caufield. Time will tell and then I wonder about the other line. Imagine if we got Dubois and he has Roy and Mesar? That's what I call a good top 9 and I don't care which line is better. I want 3 very good ones
 
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Nice find..........interesting how it all ages, bottom line, the guys who are not generational ( Ovie, Crosby, McJesus) types of players who continue to produce as they age, the rest is a crapshoot how it all unfolds.
There can be gems later in the draft, Bergeron, Markov types are out there.....
I will keep saying it, there is something about grabbing Dach that gets me thinking this is going to be a great move.....
Stay tuned.
Yeah I think we look back on that draft day and thank Hughes for trading for Dach instead of drafting Wright then taking the big silky and physical Slaf.

Finally, after decades, this team will be fun to watch as talent hits the ice and pucks hit the back of nets. We have the potential for our first 40 goal scorer in decades in Caufield and Slaf too. Honorable mention Pacioretty, if only you would of got one extra empty netter
 
Dach is the reason I'm okay with the Habs not selecting a centre at the draft.

If he reaches his potential, this kid will be good.
Win-win gamble? Dach offered 4M X 5 years. It buys up only ONE UFA year, but offers 4M per for the full 5 years, rather than a bridge contract of 2.1M, 2.3M for two year. That 3.4M to 3.8M more can compensate for the UFA season bought out.

What I like about that is the cost certainty that comes close to higher end, 3rd-line C money, which I think Dach, at worst, will become.

It also staggers his contract renegotiation two years after Slafkovsky's contract renegotiation and one year after what will hopefully be a very good C drafted early in 2023.

Montreal not only needs good deals on the books, but it needs to stagger the higher profile contracts not to get squeezed in one offseason.

If Dach comes close to reaching his upside/ceiling and so does the C we draft in 2023, there will be plenty of options in a trade scenario four years down the line, whether it is moving Suzuki, the good deal on Dach's contract for a few years, the up and coming youngster for team control, or doing absolutely nothing and moving one of the Cs on the wing for the top-6.

I'd risk a 4M, five year contract because the buyout would only cost 1.33M per annum if the player doesn't pan out. after a couple more seasons, the Cap will move Northward again and that 1.33M will become nothing in a team's Cap structure.

I really don't know what people saw in KK,baffling.lol
The mole!
 
I think Dach has potential to put up points but I am not sure he becomes a complete 200' guy and good on faceoffs. Areas of the game he can mature over time but not sure it becomes a strength like Suzuki. However, I do value his skating, vision, and skill.

A lot of people are thinking Slaf with Suzuki/Caufield and I can certainly see that but Slaf with Dach might be good too! What wingers do each line get? We will see. A possibility we have two very good lines.



Spezza is a good one too. I personally don't think 1st or 2nd line division. I think top 9 depth and rolling them where you combine the better ones on the PP's.

I'm not solely focused on points. More about how they generate offensive plays and keep the puck in the offensive end. Points will come and go from year/year but the sum off all parts is where you get a good hockey team.
I'd definitely go Slaf and Dach to start, keeping a safer Anderson with Suzuki and Caufield, focusing on experience to face opponents' first lines off the bat -- we shouldn't thrust Slafkovsky into that responsibility right out of the gate. Besides, Slafkovsky can play with Suzuki and Caufield on the PP and get a feel for potential chemistry with those two.

Slafkovsky and Dach are both extremely young (Dach isstill only 21 and doesn't have 200 games under his belt yet at the NHL level. Dach, a pass-first type of D, also needs a veteran scorer on his line, but a veteran winger who scores because of his shot, not because of his willingness to take sticks off his head in the crease (Slafkovsky can be that net presence).

The safest bet to play with Slafkovsky and Dach, IMO, because he isn't close to being the defensive liability that Hoffman is, form example, would be Dadonov.

A four-time 20+ goal-scorer, including twice with 28 goals and once with 25 goals (20 just last season), he would provide some stability for the two youngsters. Slafkovsky would also be another scoring option, of course, for Dach. The youngsters, with their size, would compensate for Dadonov whims under 6 feet tall.

Anderson - Suzuki - Caufield
Drouin - Dvorak - Gallagher
Slafkovsky - Dach - Dadonov
Hoffman/Pitlick - Evans - Armia/Pitlick
Pitlick, Hoffman, Armia

In the end, how Drouin can perform (without the puck) will determine the success of this forward group, along with the ability of a so-so D to move the puck.
 
I'd definitely go Slaf and Dach to start, keeping a safer Anderson with Suzuki and Caufield, focusing on experience to face opponents' first lines off the bat -- we shouldn't thrust Slafkovsky into that responsibility right out of the gate. Besides, Slafkovsky can play with Suzuki and Caufield on the PP and get a feel for potential chemistry with those two.

Slafkovsky and Dach are both extremely young (Dach isstill only 21 and doesn't have 200 games under his belt yet at the NHL level. Dach, a pass-first type of D, also needs a veteran scorer on his line, but a veteran winger who scores because of his shot, not because of his willingness to take sticks off his head in the crease (Slafkovsky can be that net presence).

The safest bet to play with Slafkovsky and Dach, IMO, because he isn't close to being the defensive liability that Hoffman is, form example, would be Dadonov.

A four-time 20+ goal-scorer, including twice with 28 goals and once with 25 goals (20 just last season), he would provide some stability for the two youngsters. Slafkovsky would also be another scoring option, of course, for Dach. The youngsters, with their size, would compensate for Dadonov whims under 6 feet tall.

Anderson - Suzuki - Caufield
Drouin - Dvorak - Gallagher
Slafkovsky - Dach - Dadonov
Hoffman/Pitlick - Evans - Armia/Pitlick
Pitlick, Hoffman, Armia

In the end, how Drouin can perform (without the puck) will determine the success of this forward group, along with the ability of a so-so D to move the puck.

You're approach is similar to mine. I pretty much have the same exact lines.
 
I'd definitely go Slaf and Dach to start, keeping a safer Anderson with Suzuki and Caufield, focusing on experience to face opponents' first lines off the bat -- we shouldn't thrust Slafkovsky into that responsibility right out of the gate. Besides, Slafkovsky can play with Suzuki and Caufield on the PP and get a feel for potential chemistry with those two.

Slafkovsky and Dach are both extremely young (Dach isstill only 21 and doesn't have 200 games under his belt yet at the NHL level. Dach, a pass-first type of D, also needs a veteran scorer on his line, but a veteran winger who scores because of his shot, not because of his willingness to take sticks off his head in the crease (Slafkovsky can be that net presence).

The safest bet to play with Slafkovsky and Dach, IMO, because he isn't close to being the defensive liability that Hoffman is, form example, would be Dadonov.

A four-time 20+ goal-scorer, including twice with 28 goals and once with 25 goals (20 just last season), he would provide some stability for the two youngsters. Slafkovsky would also be another scoring option, of course, for Dach. The youngsters, with their size, would compensate for Dadonov whims under 6 feet tall.

Anderson - Suzuki - Caufield
Drouin - Dvorak - Gallagher
Slafkovsky - Dach - Dadonov
Hoffman/Pitlick - Evans - Armia/Pitlick
Pitlick, Hoffman, Armia

In the end, how Drouin can perform (without the puck) will determine the success of this forward group, along with the ability of a so-so D to move the puck.
This is a good lineup
 
Dach is the reason I'm okay with the Habs not selecting a centre at the draft.

If he reaches his potential, this kid will be good.

Yes and they select Owen Beck with their 2nd round pick, he have solid potential too.

So drafting Slafkovsky is a very good move to have a pretty good 1st line in the future with Slafkovsky, Suzuki and Caufield.

Dach potential is still pretty high, 3rd overall, 6"4, great tools, great skating ability, great playmaker, good at defensive zone, need a new coach, his injury don't help him too. Before his injury, he put 10 points in 18 games, that's very good. This year with Chicago got 26 points in 70 games with a bad year team by Chicago. A talented C like him, it's hard to acquire when they reach their potential, so acquire him for Romanov... that's pretty good. (When you already have Guhle, Harris, Xhekaj, Hutson and more at LD).
 

There is a mix of good and bad in here, but to me, the good in Dach’s game outweighs the bad and he is still young enough to fix some of the bad. He will probably never become a physically imposing player — it just doesn’t seem to be in his nature — but Dach can be taught how to better use his physical gifts when appropriate without necessarily being a punishing hitter. His game away from the puck in his own zone showed improvement over the course of last season. He is already a good net-front presence offensively and can defend his own net front as well, though he likely won’t be asked to do that much in Montreal. But most of all, Dach has the speed, the skill, and the vision to be a dangerous offensive player. All he needs is to develop consistency in that area.

Dach doesn’t turn 22 until Jan. 21, 2023. He is 19 days younger than Caufield. Imagine Caufield had never benefitted last season from the turnaround St. Louis’ arrival provided, would any reasonable person have written him off as a prospect? No, because Caufield’s tools were still there. They were obvious despite him having areas of his game that needed improvement, and he was still young.

The same applies to Kirby Dach.
 

There is a mix of good and bad in here, but to me, the good in Dach’s game outweighs the bad and he is still young enough to fix some of the bad. He will probably never become a physically imposing player — it just doesn’t seem to be in his nature — but Dach can be taught how to better use his physical gifts when appropriate without necessarily being a punishing hitter. His game away from the puck in his own zone showed improvement over the course of last season. He is already a good net-front presence offensively and can defend his own net front as well, though he likely won’t be asked to do that much in Montreal. But most of all, Dach has the speed, the skill, and the vision to be a dangerous offensive player. All he needs is to develop consistency in that area.

Dach doesn’t turn 22 until Jan. 21, 2023. He is 19 days younger than Caufield. Imagine Caufield had never benefitted last season from the turnaround St. Louis’ arrival provided, would any reasonable person have written him off as a prospect? No, because Caufield’s tools were still there. They were obvious despite him having areas of his game that needed improvement, and he was still young.

The same applies to Kirby Dach.
Good read, it'll be interesting to see how he does this year, I like the fact that he hopes MSL can elevate his game to new heights this season and wants to become a dominant player. He seems to know he can be better than what has been showed.
Stocking up on the Kirby Dach rookie cards before they explode.
 
Insane work by Basu on Dach's game.

In resume the good outweigh the bad...but...the bad has to improve...seriously.

GOOD
Offensive instincts
Vision
Passing abilities
Transition
Skating

BAD
Disengaged defensively 5 on 5 (better on PK)
Weak
A 6'4'' that physically plays like a 5'6''.
Abysmal faceoff abilities
Lack of confidence, looking to pass too much.

St. Louis has to ignite some fire. Nobody wants him to be a punisher....but win your freakin 1 on 1 battle. That example Basu showed against Kuraly was an embarassment.
 
Insane work by Basu on Dach's game.

In resume the good outweigh the bad...but...the bad has to improve...seriously.

GOOD
Offensive instincts
Vision
Passing abilities
Transition
Skating

BAD
Disengaged defensively 5 on 5 (better on PK)
Weak
A 6'4'' that physically plays like a 5'6''.
Abysmal faceoff abilities
Lack of confidence, looking to pass too much.

St. Louis has to ignite some fire. Nobody wants him to be a punisher....but win your freakin 1 on 1 battle. That example Basu showed against Kuraly was an embarassment.
Seriously THAT is an article. Great work by Basu. Very clear what we have, good and bad. Lets see if they can give him confidence because the offensive talent is there.
 

There is a mix of good and bad in here, but to me, the good in Dach’s game outweighs the bad and he is still young enough to fix some of the bad. He will probably never become a physically imposing player — it just doesn’t seem to be in his nature — but Dach can be taught how to better use his physical gifts when appropriate without necessarily being a punishing hitter. His game away from the puck in his own zone showed improvement over the course of last season. He is already a good net-front presence offensively and can defend his own net front as well, though he likely won’t be asked to do that much in Montreal. But most of all, Dach has the speed, the skill, and the vision to be a dangerous offensive player. All he needs is to develop consistency in that area.

Dach doesn’t turn 22 until Jan. 21, 2023. He is 19 days younger than Caufield. Imagine Caufield had never benefitted last season from the turnaround St. Louis’ arrival provided, would any reasonable person have written him off as a prospect? No, because Caufield’s tools were still there. They were obvious despite him having areas of his game that needed improvement, and he was still young.

The same applies to Kirby Dach.
What should encourage people:

The Blackhawks traded all of their 1st rounders from 2011-19. All turned out to be really good NHLers except for McNeill. They can clearly identify talent, but they can’t seem to develop them consistently.
 
New Habs brass continuously preaches development as their top current priority. I really hope they have a well thought out plan to significantly improve the face-off proficiency of our young centers.
 
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This is a good lineup
I think it's better than last year's, TBH, and somewhat balanced. Of course, it relies a bit on bounce-back performances from Gallagher and Drouin for the Dvorak line, but that's not impossible in the least, IMO.

The D is a different matter. If, somehow, Montreal could get Shattenkirk, who has become the third pairing RHD after ANA just signed Klingberg, it would settle that D-Corps down into a better seating arrangement on the depth chart.

Shattenkirk would also provide a special teams veteran for the PP and the PK.

Matheson - Shattenkirk
Edmundson - Barron
Harris - Savard

Without being close to elite, this D-Corps it would at least be serviceable for the Habs and would have puck-movement on all pairings, with a veteran to mentor a youngster throughout.

Anderson - Suzuki - Caufield
Drouin - Dvorak - Gallagher
Slafkovsky - Dach - Dadonov
Hoffman/Pitlick - Evans - Armia/Pitlick
Pitlick, Hoffman, Armia

Matheson - Shattenkirk
Edmundson - Barron
Harris - Savard

Price?
Allen
Montembeault

Unfortunately, I think that this lineup would not be in the running for America's next top model, Connor Bedard.
 
What should encourage people:

The Blackhawks traded all of their 1st rounders from 2011-19. All turned out to be really good NHLers except for McNeill. They can clearly identify talent, but they can’t seem to develop them consistently.
Weirdly enough, McNeill was seen as a surefire roleplaying NHLer/future captain material when he got drafted. Drafting a guy projected to be a ''really good 3C'' high in the first round almost always turns out bad.
 

There is a mix of good and bad in here, but to me, the good in Dach’s game outweighs the bad and he is still young enough to fix some of the bad. He will probably never become a physically imposing player — it just doesn’t seem to be in his nature — but Dach can be taught how to better use his physical gifts when appropriate without necessarily being a punishing hitter. His game away from the puck in his own zone showed improvement over the course of last season. He is already a good net-front presence offensively and can defend his own net front as well, though he likely won’t be asked to do that much in Montreal. But most of all, Dach has the speed, the skill, and the vision to be a dangerous offensive player. All he needs is to develop consistency in that area.

Dach doesn’t turn 22 until Jan. 21, 2023. He is 19 days younger than Caufield. Imagine Caufield had never benefitted last season from the turnaround St. Louis’ arrival provided, would any reasonable person have written him off as a prospect? No, because Caufield’s tools were still there. They were obvious despite him having areas of his game that needed improvement, and he was still young.

The same applies to Kirby Dach.
I don't think it's about being a big hitter fo Dach, but rather about using his size to take defensive coverage head on and control zone entries through the middle to open up more options in the O-zone.

Slafkovsky already knows how to do that and Dach can learn how to lean into the defender. It's not beyond his reach to improve in that respect and it would vastly improve his game, IMO.
 
Weirdly enough, McNeill was seen as a surefire roleplaying NHLer/future captain material when he got drafted. Drafting a guy projected to be a ''really good 3C'' high in the first round almost always turns out bad.
See Chipchura.

But I loved McNeill. But he was never able to improve his agility. And at one point, there are things you just can't predict. But he was a really good prospect that everybody would have taken a chance on. Nobody will make me say that he was a bad pick. He just didn't develop.
 
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