Will this former Canadiens defenseman get signed before the start of the season?
Video Transcript
I mean, I think so
And I mean, it’s so interesting when teams kind of evaluate players in these ages
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I mean, there’s gonna be a 25-year-old kid in college this year who wins the Hobey Baker Award, who every team in the league’s gonna be trying to sign
And it looks like a lot of teams have already written off kinda Kirby Dach from fulfilling his potential
So I mean, I, I was pretty impressed with the way he played at different points of the playoffs, kind of agreeing with what you said
But I mean, he’s a right-handed shot
He’s 6’4″, 220 pounds, and skilled
So I mean, has all the potential there to put it together, and I think that if he’s going to do it a year, I think this is gonna be the year
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I think that, A, if he has a good year, he’s walking right into free agency now
I think that he’s probably gonna be able to play on a line, assuming he ta- fills in in that second hole at least to start, with their superstar Russian winger, who I think is gonna have a huge sophomore year
So I think he’s gonna get every opportunity at the beginning of the year, and I think if you’re the Montreal Canadiens on a one-year deal for 3.6 million, it’s definitely worth that bet
Mike, he’s got all the tools to be a number two center, as Drew said
And, you know, where he was taken in the draft, that’s probably where he should be
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But, you know, we’ve d- been down this road with Kirby Dach before
You got to see him in the playoffs a lot when the Habs played the Sabres
What do you think?
Can he do it?
At number two center, no way
I mean, because of the health problems
He’s got the talent
There’s, that, that’s never been a question
And, you know, Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton rolled the dice with him when they traded for him with Chicago
But the reason he looked so good in the playoffs is ’cause he was playing fourth line
He was playing on the fourth line with Joel Veleno, and they sometimes moved him up in the lineup
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But he provided a big matchup problem for the teams they played against because he’s so talented on the fourth line
Usually it’s muckers and grinders on the fourth line
So if they keep him in that role, I think he can thrive
But the whole reason he didn’t get a longer contract or more money is because, you know, he’s, he’s, you know, just like the, another player that they had, Patrik Laine, he couldn’t stay healthy
So if he can stay healthy, I think, you know, they’d probably agree to bring him back again
But I think that’s gonna be the big proving ground is whether he can be in the lineup for more than 37 games
