We’re going to talk about Kirby Dach a little.
Yes, he’s coming back from an injury and we have to take that into account – I’m the first to point out that we have to lower our expectations with a guy coming back from a major injury that kept him inactive for a year.
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But when you see the way Dach plays, it’s clear that it’s more than the ghost of his injury that makes him play the way he plays. There is something else.
Yesterday, in the Canadian’s defeat against the Wild (3-0), did you think he was good? Did you find him involved? Did you think he deserved to play with Nick Suzuki at even strength and on the power play?
Me neither.
The lack of effort is glaring. He’s not going to get his nose dirty in the pay zones and he seems afraid of getting hurt again. These are all aspects that come into play.
Seven points, including just one goal, in 17 games: is that enough for you? It’s not enough to aspire to dislodge Nick Suzuki as the club’s first center, in any case.
If Dach wore #55 and was named Michael Pezzetta, would he have as much room to maneuver? Wouldn’t he rather be left aside a little more often?
So what do we do?
Sending him to the stands may be radical. Placing him on a third line is perhaps not in the plans of Martin St-Louis, who never stirs his soup at that point.
Why not start with the easy solution: take away his playing time on the first power play?
And I don’t know about you, but quickly, I have a candidate who comes to mind to take his place. You know him well: his name is Lane Hutson. And it’s still good.
I like the idea of pairing Matheson and Hutson together on the first wave since it would allow the rookie to be even more free on the ice. The two men, who deserve playing time on the first unit, could combine forces.
It will be like combining Matt Walst and Adam Gontier to sing in the same group. #ThreeDaysGrace
Limiting Dach’s responsibilities (and forcing him to earn his playing time) would not be a bad thing for CH. And it’s not like the current recipe is perfect either…
Making the numerical advantage more unpredictable wouldn’t be a bad idea.
But that’s not all I remember from yesterday’s match. We’re talking about a duel that wasn’t perfect, obviously, but it wasn’t a disaster either.
What do I take away from it?
1. 28 minutes of play for Mike Matheson, what does that mean? This means that he is good (and that the duo he forms with Kaiden Guhle has slowed down the best opposing elements), obviously.
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But it also means that even if the Wild finished the match with 10 attackers, Martin St-Louis is unable to trust his third pair. Arber Xhekaj (13:37) and Jayden Struble (12:48) didn’t play much, let’s say.
Jayden Struble’s penalty, which put the Wild up 2-0, is an example.
2. CH was shut out for the first time this season. As Renaud Lavoie mentioned this morning at BPM Sports, we didn’t expect offense to be a problem this year.
Jeff Gorton talked about it at the golf tournament.
3. CH is playing for .353 this season: it has 12 points in 17 games. The club is sitting at the bottom of the league (like under Dominique Ducharme) and that’s not exactly what the club’s leaders had in mind. #DanceLeMix
Is it time to come up with a rhyming slogan for drafting James Hagens…or the player of your choice?
4. Let’s put things into perspective: It’s lucky that Cole Caufield and Lane Hutson, who are two small players, are here this year. They make it more fun.
And despite everything, Team USA It is said that there are at least twenty Americans better than them across the league. The guys line up to miss the Four Nations Tournament.
5. The refereeing was difficult yesterday – and I’m not saying that to explain the defeat. Lane Hutson who is punished for having received a blow… the Wild unpunished after such a sequence on the goalkeeper…
We saw better.
Prolongation
The Canadian is currently on a travel day. No club members will be able to meet with media representatives today and there is no practice on the agenda either.
Tomorrow the Columbus Blue Jackets will be in town. Will Jordan Harris play?
