ESPN projections: only 30 points for Kirby Dach

If there’s one question that’s often asked about Kirby Dach, it’s whether he’ll be able to play a full NHL season.

Obviously, hockey is an extremely physically demanding sport, and some people are more fragile than others.

Dach has never played more than 70 games in an NHL season, but last season had many worried: only two games on the clock.

Although Habs fans are very hopeful that he will remain healthy, there are still doubts.

It’s all very well trying to predict Dach’s production in 2024-25, but first we need to know how many games he’ll be able to play.

With the start of NHL training camps fast approaching, ESPN has decided to give its projections for all NHL players.

There are some interesting predictions, but Dach’s stands out.

First, ESPN predicts Dach will play 67 games, which is good news in his case.

The problem is the meagre 30-point output predicted for the 6-foot-4 forward.

That’s pretty low when you consider that many saw Dach as a potential #1 center when he arrived, ahead of Nick Suzuki.

And if you believe what Tony Marinaro said a few weeks ago, there’s a big difference, as he believes the 60-point plateau is very attainable.

In fact, ESPN is predicting an 83-point season for Suzuki.

He would be the first Habs player to score more than 80 points in a season since Alex Kovalev in 2007-08.

Stu Cowan recently appeared on The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro to talk about his expectations for Dach.

Stu Cowan on expectations for Kirby Dach:

“If Kirby Dach can play 82 games this season, even if he gets 35-40 points, just stay healthy… If he doesn’t produce the first 20 games of the season and gets 5 or 6 points I wouldn’t be panicking “#GoHabsGo #thesickpodcast… pic.twitter.com/DanKsqgOrT

– The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro (@thesickpodcasts) August 10, 2024

“If Kirby Dach can play 82 games this season, even if he has 35-40 points: just make him stay healthy… If he doesn’t produce in the first 20 games and only has 5 or 6 points, I wouldn’t panic.” – Stu Cowan

The way he said it sounded a bit like 35-40 points would be relatively low production for Dach next season.

This confirms that ESPN is not very optimistic about the 23-year-old center’s production.

Still, Cowan has a point: staying healthy must be Dach’s #1 goal this season, well beyond his production.

What’s more, the American network sees Brendan Gallagher producing more than Dach.

And not just one or two more points, but EIGHT.

38 points for Gallagher seems like a pretty high output, given the many signs of physical fatigue he’s shown over the past two years.

On the other hand, he still managed a respectable 31 points in 77 games.

His point totals will be affected not only by his physical condition, but also by his playing time and his line-mates for the season.

I don’t think he’ll get a chance in the top-6 this season, barring a few injuries.

In any case, the Habs probably won’t be very competitive in 2024-25. Good offensive production won’t be imperative, especially in cases like Dach and Gallagher.