Were Blackhawks too hasty in dealing Dach to Canadiens?

When Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson traded Kirby Dach to Montreal last July there wasn't exactly a furious backlash among fans.

Who cares? Kid underperformed for three seasons. Good riddance.

It was an understandable reaction, especially when so much is expected out of the third overall pick in any draft.

Seven months later, however, Dach is finding his stride with the Canadiens and it's fair to wonder if Davidson wasn't a bit too hasty in unloading the 6-foot-4, 212-pound centerman.

"I knew the kind of potential of the player we have," Montreal coach Martin St. Louis told reporters before his team defeated the visiting Hawks 4-0 on Tuesday. "I've seen Kirby play before, even before he turned pro. So I knew the player.

"I didn't know the individual - and as you get to know him, he's a great kid. And hungry."

Dach dealt with so much during his time in Chicago that he had to feel like he was swimming upstream from the moment he was selected.

• First and foremost, he wasn't ready to turn pro. GM Stan Bowman should have let him develop for one more year in juniors.

• Then came a wrist injury at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship that ruined Dach's second season.

• Last year, Dach managed 9 goals and 26 assists, but he had a dreadful finish with only 5 points in the last 20 games.

Although he started slowly in Montreal, Dach (12G, 23A) now looks like a completely different player. One capable of controlling a shift, setting up teammates, being a pain in the rump in front of the net and - perhaps - turning into a consistent 20-goal scorer.

"I'm not surprised," Patrick Kane told reporters Tuesday morning. "It takes some time sometimes and he was probably rushed into the league.

"You know, you're playing fourth-line minutes, getting sat out games - it's probably not the best thing for your development. It's not surprising that all of a sudden he's starting to play a lot of minutes and playing in a good position and he's producing.

"Happy for him."

Dach and the Canadiens were certainly happy after notching a third straight victory Tuesday. Montreal led just 1-0 after two-plus periods, but scored 3 goals in six minutes in the third to pull away from the Hawks (16-31-5).

Jaxson Stauber (27 saves) was impressive in net, but lost for the first time in the NHL after 3 straight victories to begin his career. The Hawks failed to convert on a 65-second two-man advantage in the first period and were shut out for the seventh time.

Dach, who scored the shootout winner when Montreal (23-27-4) beat the Hawks at the United Center on November 25, wasn't much of a factor Tuesday. Nonetheless, he has 7 goals and 5 assists and is averaging nearly 20 minutes of ice time the last 15 games.

Dach's days in Chicago were hardly a complete waste. He soaked in loads of advice from Kane, Jonathan Toews and now-retired defenseman Brent Seabrook, whom he lived with as a rookie.

"I just feel like I tried to rush things, I tried to rush becoming the player I wanted to be and not really focusing on the path, just on the end result," Dach recently told The Athletic. "I wanted to become this player that in my mind I had a picture of and wanted it to happen overnight.

"There's a lot of long talks I had with Seabrook, coming home late after games, just disappointed and frustrated, upset with the way I've been playing."

It will be some time before we'll know if there was a "winner" in this deal. In exchange for Dach, the Hawks were given the 13th and 66th picks, and they selected forwards Frank Nazar and Gavin Hayes. Nazar, a freshman at Michigan, missed most of this season after undergoing hip surgery. He made his debut last Friday, then scored his first goal against Michigan State on Saturday.

Hayes has 27 goals and 26 assists in 52 games for the OHL's Flint Firebirds (juniors).

The Hawks, who remain without Toews, continue their three-game road trip at Toronto on Wednesday. Toews will not face the Maple Leafs, making it the fifth straight game he will miss as he recovers from an illness.

By the numbers

<b>Kirby Dach's career stats</b>Season, team GP G A Pts.

2019-20, Hawks 64 8 15 23

2020-21, Hawks 18 2 8 10

2021-22, Hawks 70 9 17 26

2022-23, Mont. 54 12 23 35

Totals 206 31 63 94

Note: Dach is on pace for 18 goals, 35 assists and 53 points