Message to Kirby Dach: let Lane Hutson dance on the first powerplay

Let’s talk about Kirby Dach for a moment.
Yes, he’s coming back from injury and we have to take that into account – I’m the first one to point out that we have to lower our expectations with a guy who’s coming back from a major injury that kept him inactive for a year.
But…
But when you see the way Dach plays, it’s clear that it’s more than the ghost of his injury that makes him play the way he does. There’s something else going on.
Yesterday, in the Canadiens’ 3-0 loss to the Wild, did you think he played well? Did you think he was involved? Did you think he deserved to play with Nick Suzuki at even strength on the powerplay?
I didn’t think so either.
The lack of effort is glaring. He’s not going to get his nose dirty in the pay zones, and he seems afraid of re-injuring himself. These are all aspects that come into play.
What’s Dr. Shot up to these days?
https://t.co/0E15QcKKZC
– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) November 15, 2024
Seven points, including a single goal, in 17 games: is that enough for you? Not enough to dislodge Nick Suzuki as the club’s first center, anyway.
If Dach wore #55 and was named Michael Pezzetta, would he have as much room to maneuver? Wouldn’t he be left out a bit more often?
Soot I was thinking you take the names off the chabdails and bring in some anonymous experts to analyze the game and Dach is probably a healthy scratch next game let alone get out of PP1
– Robert Martineau (@Djbobm66Robert) November 15, 2024
So what do we do?
Sending him to the stands may be radical. Putting him on the third line may not be in Martin St-Louis’s plans, as he never stirs his soup like that.
Why not start with the easy solution: take away his playing time on the first powerplay?
And I don’t know about you, but I have a candidate in mind to take his place. You know him well: his name is Lane Hutson. And he’s a good one.
Mannnnn can we get this guy his first goal already pic.twitter.com/TzU2YAsOZe
– HFTV (@HFTVSports) November 15, 2024
I like the idea of pairing Matheson and Hutson together on the first wave as it would allow the rookie to be even freer on the ice. Both men, who deserve playing time on the first unit, could combine their strengths.
It would be like combining Matt Walst and Adam Gontier to sing in the same band. #ThreeDaysGrace
Limiting Dach’s responsibilities (and forcing him to earn his playing time) wouldn’t be a bad thing for the Habs. And it’s not as if the current recipe is perfect either…
Making the powerplay more unpredictable wouldn’t be a bad thing either.
But that’s not all I remember about yesterday’s game. We’re talking about a duel that wasn’t perfect, obviously, but it wasn’t a catastrophe either.
What do I take away from it?
1. 28 minutes of play for Mike Matheson, what does that mean? It means he’s good (and that the duo he forms with Kaiden Guhle kept the opposition’s best players at bay), of course.
But it also means…
But it also means that even though the Wild finished the game with 10 forwards, Martin St-Louis is unable to trust his third pair. Arber Xhekaj (13:37) and Jayden Struble (12:48) didn’t play much, let’s say.
Jayden Struble’s penalty, which gave the Wild a 2-0 lead, is a case in point.
Martin St-Louis wasn’t happy
https://t.co/NaHOYa7zmL
– TVA Sports (@TVASports) November 15, 2024
2. The Habs have been blanked for the first time this season. As Renaud Lavoie mentioned to BPM Sports this morning, the forwards weren’t expected to be a problem this year.
Jeff Gorton talked about it at the golf tournament.
3. The Habs are playing for .353 this season: they have 12 points in 17 games. The club is in last place in the league (as it was under Dominique Ducharme) and this isn’t exactly what the club’s leaders had in mind. #InTheMix
Is it time to come up with a rhyming slogan for drafting James Hagens… or the player of your choice?
4. Let’s put things in perspective: good thing Cole Caufield and Lane Hutson, who are both small-time players, are here this year. They make it all the more fun.
And despite everything, Team USA figures there are at least twenty Americans better than them across the league. The guys are lining up to miss the Four Nations Tournament.
5. Refereeing was tough yesterday – and I’m not saying that to explain the loss. Lane Hutson being punished for taking a hit… the Wild unpunished after such a sequence on the goalie…
We’ve seen better.
I’m not sure what Slafkovsky was supposed to do here.
Hartman pushed him in, and Gustavsson jumped on him.
No penalties for the Wild. pic.twitter.com/I5OJAcfY8C
– Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) November 15, 2024
Extension
The Canadiens are currently on travel day. No members of the club will be able to meet with media representatives today, and there’s no practice on the menu either.
Tomorrow, the Columbus Blue Jackets will be in town. Will Jordan Harris play?
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