Two years ago during the 2022 off-season, the Chicago Blackhawks decided they would trade former third overall pick Kirby Dach to the Montreal Canadiens. At the time, this was one of many questionable decisions when tearing down the team.
Dach, having played parts of three seasons in Chicago to that point, was not overly impressive, but trading a young player, especially one who was picked so high in the draft, is a risky move. The Blackhawks received a 13th overall pick in 2022 and a 66th overall pick in 2022. With those selections, Chicago drafted Frank Nazar and Gavin Hayes.
This is now the third season in which Dach is a Canadien, so a good amount of time has passed in order to get a judgement on if the trade was smart or comes back and haunts the Blackhawks. From how Dach has progressed and his tendency to get injured, it’s the former.
Dach played 152 games for Chicago before being traded and scored 19 goals and 59 points. He looked good at times, but not good enough. While his highest totals in Chicago came from his third and final season with the team, his rookie season at age 19 was the most impressive.
Once being dealt to Montreal, Dach looked to have immediately broken out, putting up a career high 14 goals and 38 points in just 58 games. This was yet another season that could’ve been more if he was healthy for its entirety.
Unfortunately for Dach and the Canadiens, he played just two games last year due to injury and hasn’t been the same player once coming back this season. Through 22 games, he has one goal, eight points, and is a team-low -18. That is last on the Canadiens by a wide margin too.
While part of the reason Chicago moved on from Dach could have been due to his issues staying healthy, either way it has played a big part in his young career thus far. Coming in and out of the lineup is difficult, especially during growth years when development is key and he is doing as much rehabbing as playing.
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An argument could be made that the Blackhawks need center help right now, but how much would Dach really be helping their situation. Again, he is -18 and playing on the third line of the Canadiens with just one goal. He wouldn’t be helping the lack of scoring the Blackhawks are dealing with and while he is a body at center, he wouldn’t actually be an upgrade.
Nazar, who the Blackhawks drafted with that first-round pick that came back in the Dach trade, is looking good and will be in the NHL again sooner than later. He projects to be a top-6 center for Chicago and performed well in his three-game stint last season after leaving the NCAA.
At this point, the Blackhawks appear to have won the trade and made the right decision in moving on from Dach so early in his career. There is lots of runway to go, but Dach isn’t living up to the spot he was drafted and if he’s out of the lineup as much as he’s in, that is a burden.
The Blackhawks’s future looks bright with Nazar in it, but Dach’s future is more unclear.
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