Is Kirby Dach's lack of ice time a problem?
The Blackhawks' decision to keep Kirby Dach on the roster could be the most controversial one they make all season.
General manager Stan Bowman and his staff are entrusted to know two things when it comes to a player of Dach's stature.
• What is best for the team now?
• What is best for his long-term development?
There's no doubt it's a tricky road to navigate. And for better or worse, Bowman decided Dach would progress faster with the Jonathan Toews and Co. instead of with the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL.
This was not the road Toews took 13 years ago, however, as he elected to spend another season at the University of North Dakota before breaking into the NHL in 2007.
“Well, a lot of it was just where the team was at; a lot of it was where I felt my game was at,” said Toews, who like Dach was selected third overall. “I'd played college as a young 17-year-old (the season before). I thought I played pretty well, but to me there was still a lot more I could do at that level to get ready to play in the NHL.
“It was good to go back to school just to feel really comfortable, improve all the little things in my game and get stronger.”
This is not to say the Hawks made the wrong decision with Dach. The way they've used him lately, however, is a bit concerning.
In the last seven games, Dach's ice time has been 7:29, 12:37, 10:06, 9:02, healthy scratch, 7:43 and 12:36. That's a 9:56 average, far below the playing time No. 1 pick Jack Hughes (16:05) and No. 2 pick Kaapo Kakko (15:18) are seeing for the Devils and Rangers, respectively.
It's also far below the ice time Connor McDavid, Patrik Laine, Nico Hischier and Andrei Svechnikov saw as 18-year-old rookies.
“I am a little bit (concerned),” former Hawks forward Jamal Mayers said on the NBC Sports Chicago pregame show Wednesday. “For a forward, I would say 13-15 minutes of ice time would be ideal, especially if he's not going to be having special-teams time. He's a guy who's used to playing a lot of minutes and you don't want to affect his confidence.”
That comment came before Dach's best performance of the season in which he notched a goal and an assist in the Hawks' 5-3 victory at Vegas. Centering a fourth line that included wingers Zack Smith and Ryan Carpenter, Dach again showed why he figures to be a 20-goal scorer in the years to come.
Early in the third period, Dach took a direct route to the net as Smith entered the Vegas zone down the right side. As Smith stopped and fed the puck to Carpenter, Dach opened up to get into shooting position and scored by pounding in his own rebound.
These net-front goals are exactly what should be expected from the 6-foot-4 Dach during his career. It's where he scored his first NHL goal against Vegas on Oct. 22, and he was only about 15-20 feet away on his second Sunday against Toronto.
“The last two games he's been very good,” Hawks coach Jeremy Colliton told reporters in Vegas. “He's showing away from the puck (that) he's under control, he's winning puck battles, he's finding ways to get pucks out. …
“Skill guys find ways to produce, and it's not just all the plays they make. It's (winning) a 50/50, then a play. And that's really good to see.”
Dach figures to keep getting better, but, as Colliton has pointed out, progression for young players rarely goes in a straight line. Dach is going to struggle and possibly even question his abilities at times.
That's just the reality of the NHL.
But the bottom line is the opportunities need to be there, otherwise it may have been better for him to be playing 18-22 minutes a night in the OHL.
“There's no doubt it's not easy,” Toews said. “You've got to fight to keep your confidence every night, especially when you're not feeling (it).
“Sometimes there's no replacing getting out there and getting the puck on your stick. Getting those touches and getting the reps out there.
“Obviously, he's a good player and he's going to be a great player, so you just hope he sticks with it.”
Boqvist assigned:
The Blackhawks assigned defenseman Adam Boqvist to Rockford on Thursday, signaling that Connor Murphy (groin) is ready to come off long-term injured reserve for Saturday's game at Nashville. Boqvist scored 1 goal and averaged 14.5 minutes of ice time in six games.
Slap shots:
After getting just 3 goals from their defensemen heading into Wednesday's game at Vegas, the Hawks got 2 in 45 seconds when Calvin de Haan and Erik Gustafsson scored at 4:09 and 4:54 of the second period in a 5-3 victory over the Golden Knights. … Corey Crawford made 39 saves against Vegas. He is 2-0-1 with a .937 save percentage and a 2.27 goals-against average in his last three appearances. … Patrick Kane has 6 goals and 7 assists in his seven-game point streak.