Another missed opportunity for Kirby Dach

Two years ago, a match-up between the Blackhawks and the Canadiens came with a twist: Connor Bedard had just been drafted with the first overall pick and was seen as THE greatest generational Canadian player since Connor McDavid.

What's more, the Kirby Dach trade was still fresh, and we were all still hoping to see the Blackhawks say, “we shouldn't have traded Kirby Dach so quickly.”

But things have changed.

First, the Blackhawks are going to win because they went to the Palma last night. Connor Bedard, in his third season with the show, has 44 points in 31 games so far. He also has a +8 rating, after seasons of -44 and -36.

He's also in talks to break into the Canadian Olympic team. We're no longer talking about a green rookie attracting curiosity; we're talking about an established mega-star.

Second, Bedard recently injured his shoulder and is expected to be out two to eight weeks for a separation. So he won't be in uniform tonight at the Bell Centre. His absence takes the excitement out of the game, I'm sure you'll agree.

Third, Kirby Dach will once again miss a game against his former team due to injury. Yes, he's started skating again, but he's not ready to return to action just yet.

Since being traded to the Canadiens, he has played in both games of the same season between the Canadiens and the Hawks only once; that was in his first season in Montreal.

Dach has just one career assist against his former team (in five games).

Fourth, very few people—both in Montreal and Chicago—are “hot” to follow Kirby Dach's actions. The guy's becoming a flop, and I wouldn't be surprised to see the Habs let him go completely independent next summer.

In short, tonight's duel at the Bell Centre—already the Canadiens' home games are often difficult this season—doesn't have a huge flavor, you'll agree. The Hawks will be without their best player, just three points ahead of the Canucks in last place in the NHL standings! And Kirby Dach is still out of the game against his former team…

Still, a player to watch
Bedard OUT! Dach OUT!

There's one Blackhawks player who catches my eye: Frank Nazar.

Why Nazar? Because he's the player the Hawks selected with the 13th overall pick in 2022… a pick that belonged to the Canadiens before being sent to Chicago in the Kirby Dach deal.

In Bedard's absence, Nazar will be used (in place of Connor Bedard) to center Tyler Bertuzzi and Andre Burakovsky on the enemy's first line.

Nazar has 20 points in 31 games this season. However, he's been blanked in his last six games; he's due, as the other guy would say.

Is the Blackhawks' #91 a better player than Kirby Dach? To ask the question is to answer it.

Can't wait to see what he can do on the Bell Centre ice tonight.

Two bad transactions
Marc Bergevin had many faults (notably his tendency to give bad contracts to players he “liked” too much), but he had one great quality: he won his trades.

Thomas Vanek… Jeff Petry… Phillip Danault… Max Domi… Joel Armia… Nick Suzuki… Brett Kulak… Marco Scandella… Jake Allen… Joel Edmundson…

Maybe Jonathan Drouin vs Mikhail Sergachev was catastrophic, but nobody hits for 1.000. Let's talk about the exception that proves the rule.

Kent Hughes has a lot of qualities—as does Jeff Gorton—but the two Montreal executives have lost a lot of trades. And they still haven't added enough muscle to the team, but that's another matter…

Kirby Dach… Alex Newhook maybe… Alexander Romanov… Artturi Lehkonen…

Mike Matheson is clearly an exception.

Many are beginning to ask: was the Noah Dobson deal a good move by Kent Hughes?

The Canadiens let Emil Heineman go (he has 11 goals and seven assists this season, playing on the Islanders' first line), along with picks 16 and 17 at the last draft. Choices that became Victor Eklund and Kashawn Aitcheson.

Aitcheson is a brute on the ice, and we'll be watching him at the World Junior Championships.

And Victor Eklund is an excellent Swedish prospect who has yet to make the leap to North America.

Yes, Dobson is good: he has 18 points in 33 games with very few minutes on the powerplay. And he blocks shots.

But he's also been blanked in his last five games and commits a number of sometimes costly turnovers. And he doesn't hit…

All this while earning an average annual salary of $9.5 million.

I'm not saying he's bad, but it does beg the question this morning: who's won the Noah Dobson deal so far? The Habs or the Isles?