These three usage situations represented three very different on-ice realities for Dach. Looking at his linemate history in 2021-22 courtesy of Micah Blake McCurdy at HockeyViz, we broadly see three usage strategies: Patrick Kane (265 minutes with Dach at five-on-five), Alex DeBrincat (342), and Brandon Hagel (242) at the start of the season, a gradual transition toward Philipp Kurashev (271) and Dominik Kubalik (239), and then closing off the season alongside Sam Lafferty (151) and Mackenzie Entwistle (118). The other thing about Dach is something that has been touched on earlier: his numbers in certain situations are leagues above his overall averages.
He’s also not afraid to involve himself in defensive-zone play, as evidenced by his puck touches, nor does he shy away from killer passes on offence, as evidenced by his one-timer and high-danger assist values. The biggest positive sign is that the 21-year-old has remarkable zone entry and exit numbers, ranking in the upper quartile of the league. However, Dach’s forecheck, transition game, and rush offence are quite good. What then, is Kirby Dach? Looking at his microstats courtesy of Corey Sznajder’s All Three Zones tracking project, we see - on the surface - an offensively challenged centre who struggles in dump-and-chase situations. While his progression has unquestionably stalled to some extent, the player himself has been beset by circumstances beyond his control - first suffering a wrist injury that prematurely ended his sophomore campaign, and then shuffled up and down the lineup as the Blackhawks desperately tried to salvage a 2021-22 campaign that may have been doomed from the start.
Much of the reason for such a wide range of opinions is that the centrepiece of the trade, Dach, remains somewhat of a mystery. After three years with little progression, were the Chicago Blackhawks jettisoning a lemon before the rest of the league caught on? Alternatively, were the Canadiens buying low on a prospect who desperately needed a change of scenery, thereby fleecing a team that had just sent Alex DeBrincat to the Ottawa Senators for pennies on the dollar? Finally, should Kent Hughes have simply sat on the 13th overall selection acquired from the New York Islanders for Alexander Romanov? When the Montreal Canadiens acquired Kirby Dach at the NHL Entry Draft on Thursday night, there were a number of perspectives swirling around the Bell Centre and beyond.
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