The Montreal Canadiens are trying to balance out their top six, with a solid second line to support the top trio.
Unfortunately, it hasn't worked out real well for Kirby Dach, who the Habs are hoping will be their second-line centre. Dach has a brief stint with Cole Caufield and Suzuki on the wing, but ahead of the Habs clash with the Pittsburgh Penguins, he was moved back to centre on the second line. This will be another opportunity for Dach to prove himself, with Alex Newhook and Juraj Slafkovsky flanking him.
Still, I see a future for Dach on the wing, simply because his skating and vision open up space for the centre. He is creative, and with less defensive responsibility, Dach will be more effective as a play-creator and driver. While it makes sense to try him out at centre, which has been his natural position since junior, I tend to believe he has a future as a winger.
With Michael Hage and Ivan Demidov coming through the wings soon enough, if Dach does shift to the wing, they are two viable options. It seems that Hage has the highest potential of all the Habs forward prospects to usurp Suzuki as the Habs top centre. With Hage likely another season away from coming to Montreal, the Canadiens will need to figure out the centre role.
Max Lapierre not convinced that Dach has a future at centre
I agree completely with what Maxim Lapierre is saying, Dach has the size and he is super skilled, but the consistency necessary to be a centre takes away lots of his offensive touch. If Dach is going to be able to create scoring chances and score more goals, then odds are he should stick it out on the wing. Montreal needs to increase their goal output, and moving Dach to the wing might be the best way to do that.
Maxim Lapierre on Kirby Dach:
— The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro (@thesickpodcasts) October 23, 2024
"I know he's got the full package. He's a skilled player with size, but I'm not sold that he's a centerman and I'm not sold he's going to show up every single night"#GoHabsGo #thesickpodcast @TonyMarinaro @Lappy14 pic.twitter.com/jTbDGxXpJj
Dach has proven time and time again that he is a difference-maker for the Canadiens, and while he hasn't done it much this season, he showed plenty with the top line. In a support role, where he doesn't have to lead the line, he is very effective. I think that the Canadiens will benefit more from Dach's game on the wing, where he can be more impactful.
I don't think that it's a knock against Dach that he might not have a future as a centre, if anything, he just has more potential to be an effective piece on the wing for the Canadiens.