We are at the American Thanksgiving weekend and the Canadian is in last place in the Eastern Association. And among the players who perfectly illustrate his troubles, there is Kirby Dach, the big disappointment of the season so far, in my opinion.
At 23, he is already playing his sixth campaign in the National League and despite everything, we must question his real value. If general manager Kent Hughes believes he has some, he has a decision to make. Because any GM must be constantly on the phone to examine what asset he can receive in return from a player and see how he can improve his training. He is in office for this reason.
No GM hits for 1,000 with his trades, draft picks and hires; perfection does not exist. And any organization can admit a mistake, as long as it doesn’t repeat it because of its stubbornness, because otherwise, that’s when you go backwards instead of moving forward. As for Dach, we may be starting to understand why the Blackhawks let him go.
Seeing a rebuilding club like Chicago resign on a young hockey player should be a red flag for other teams. The Hawks evaluated him and if they moved on in 2022, it’s because they saw negative elements. His intensity and passion are absent, his body language speaks volumes about his questionable work ethic, for which he has yet to face any significant consequences.
The Canadian had identified Dach as a number 2 center player, but he has not shown that he is able to assume this task. He has skills, except that we are still at the same point with him. It’s difficult to work with such flaws and make the player progress. It worries me a lot, but are we pressing the right buttons? Here, it is the role of the instructors. They gave him latitude and, there, possibly a stronger message must be transmitted. A coach’s job is not to be liked: it’s to win and allow his men to reach their full potential.
Better than that
The first quarter of the season was extremely difficult for the Canadian, even if he just collected three points out of four. Against Utah on Tuesday, it wasn’t a great game. The team took just 13 shots, a first since 2009, and it wasn’t great. At least the players responded well with intense play the next day.
The fact remains that the probabilities of qualifying for the series are very low. It all comes down to how you lose. The club has already allowed five goals in one period and this type of unacceptable performance has happened too often. However, CH is a better team than it showed. Now, everyone has to go back to the drawing board, especially since senior management sold hope to the fans last summer and we finally realize that the club will not be in the mix.
