Surprising statement about Kirby Dach that could have a major impact with the Canadiens

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Elias Edmonson
August 25, 2023 (11:58 PM)

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The situation with Kirby Dach is creating buzz in the Montreal Canadiens camp, as some view him as a center, while others see him as a winger.

With a two-part season in which he broke out with the Canadiens on the top line alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, before being used as a second-line center by Martin St-Louis due to numerous injuries, Dach proved he could handle both roles.

Now that the Canadiens are about to start a new campaign with a healthy lineup, what's the best fit for number 77?

According to one of his specialized coaches, Tim Turk, an expert in the science of shooting and with whom he spent the offseason training, the ideal position to maximize Dach's performance is as a winger.

Here's what he said about this during his appearance on Tony Marinaro's podcast:

I'd prefer him on the wing because he has this ability to separate players from the puck in the corners of the rink. He's above average in this aspect of the game, so I'd like to see him often in the corners. And after coming out with the puck, I want him to attack the central corridor. Drive to the center on the counter-attack and shoot the puck!

With the possibility of Sean Monahan easily filling the role of second-line center for the next season, I'm curious to see what Dach could do on the top line with Suzuki and Caufield. In addition to adding size to this unit, he complements the weaknesses of the other two perfectly, which is to play in the corners of the rink.

Having worked all summer to improve his biggest offensive weakness, his shot, the third overall pick of the 2019 draft wants to have a more significant impact around the net.

According to Turk, who has worked with the likes of Connor Bedard in the past, he mentions that Dach's reputation as a playmaker could change this season.

He could become a natural scorer. And if he doesn't score, his shot will produce rebounds and scoring chances.

His shooting coach reveals that he made changes to the Canadiens player's stick, and these changes, according to him, have proven beneficial.

I noticed Dach had several chances in the slot, and he couldn't lift the puck amidst traffic. Yet, his technique was good. We slightly modified his stick. Roughly speaking, we switched from a 7-iron to an 8-iron in one section of the stick. We tried that, and he was like: holy sh...!

We are eager to see Dach's improvement in his shooting during the team's training camp, which will start in about a month. If there's a genuine noticeable improvement in this aspect of his game, he will become even more of a threat on the ice for the Canadiens.

After scoring 14 goals and 38 points last year, in 58 games, we are excited to see his output for the upcoming season.