Kirby Dach is valuable but has to score more.
Kirby Dach has played in 36 games so far this season. 58 is the most he’s ever played in as a member of the Montreal Canadiens and 70 in his short career with the Blackhawks. Injuries have played a big part in that but he’s going to turn 24 in January and this has to be the year he turns it around.
The Canadiens are 16-20 with him in the lineup. That’s a .444 winning percentage. Last season, when he was out for all but two games, they had a .366 winning percentage. In short, I think they are a better team with him in the lineup and I will point out what I’ve noticed.
At 6’4”, his size is an asset. He has 58 hits although he's not crushing guys out there. He’s fifth on the club with that at .82 per game. Having a bigger center has its advantages just being hard to cover. I'm not sure he will play more physical to be honest. Now, if he could boost his 38% on face-offs, that would be a big help as well.
According to Hockey Reference, when he’s playing 5-on-5 and the game is close he’s a good player to have on the ice to get pucks on the net. Dach has gotten 65.1% through. That’s fantastic. In this situation, he has four goals and three assists. So this is his bread and butter so far this season.
I expect more points out of the pivot. I do. I think he should be a 55-point player a season. If not, the assets they gave up to get him weren’t worth it. With the roll the Canadiens are on right now, and that two-goal game aside, he hasn’t had enough impact on the scoresheet.
Let’s see what happens down the road.
