Trading Kirby Dach will delay the Hawks’ rebuild by two years, believes Dany Dubé

Since being traded to the Habs, Kirby Dach has played two games against his former team in which he was the main attraction.

First, in Chicago, he silenced the crowd with his shootout-winning goal. And earlier in the year, he suffered an injury that put an end to his 2023-2024 season.

Still, it’s no secret that the deal to send him to Montreal clearly favored the Habs. In return, Kyle Davidson received a first-round pick (Frank Nazar) and a third-round pick (Gavin Hayes). In Nazar’s case, we hope he becomes an impact player.

After all, he is a first-round pick…

But that’s at least two years away. And according to Dany Dubé, this transaction will actually delay the Hawks’ rebuild by two years.

The journalist points out that with Dach, the Hawks could have used him as a first center until Connor Bedard came of age. Yes, Bedard is already a superstar, but physically, he’s not at his peak.

With Dach, he would have had some protection in the line-up.

Right now, behind Bedard is Tyler Johnson. Let’s just say he’s not the Habs’ center…

In fact, the former Lightning man’s name has been linked to various teams across the NHL.

Bruins Trade Talk: Is Tyler Johnson An Option For Bruins? https://t.co/kNJJRCiVGA get rid of sweeney he doesn’t care.

– BOBBY FALLAVOLLITA (@BOBBYFALLAVOLL1) December 26, 2023

Johnson, 33, collected 11 points in 32 games this season. The man with a $4.75 million payroll this season doesn’t have a very enticing contract either.

In short, Chicago isn’t close to winning. I’m not saying the club would be with Dach, but it would be closer.

Still, the future is interesting. With Bedard leading the charge until the end of his career, Lukas Reichel, potentially Macklin Celebrini/Cole Eiserman/Ivan Demidov and Kevin Korchinski, the club has a bright future.

But let’s face it, the Dach deal will hurt the Hawks for a few years to come.

Luke Richardson’s team is currently in second-to-last place in the NHL. They have the same number of points as the Sharks, but have played one game less.