100% agreed! I would prefer to keep Nylander where he is. It's not a knock to him or his talent, but after all the Buffalo back and forth and line shifting even in his short time here...I want him to simply get used to being an NHLer and don't change up a good thing. It's working with him on the 4th line. Keep him there. I actually wouldn't mind seeing that 3rd line split up for a game. Toews could use Saad and Kubalik on his wings. If it doesn't work then switch back.

I was at the game last night, and I’ll say this, the bottom six is tremendous and I really don’t want it touched. Also, on a bad note, this team is atrociously slow. We missed so many chances last night because of a lack of speed. Having said that, defense was far better, and that makes Murphy being injured even harder. Nylander where he is is awesome! I love the responsibility the fourth line is giving him!

Now the part I hate talking about: golden boy Dach. After two games, he has seemed to show he can handle the physical side of the game. However, that’s the one good thing I can really give him. Save for a flukey bounce for his first career goal, i thought Kirby made no difference in the game. He was slow, poor defensively, and was invisible save for the goal. I know you said he helped defensively, but the one or two occasions that helped didn’t save the 4 or 5 times he didn’t help. In all actuality, his hockey IQ needs work, cuz he was out of position a lot, and when he did figure out where to go, he was way too slow to get there. He definitely looks like what I feared he would be. He does have good hands, but that don’t mean a thing if you don’t have the legs to get around someone, and it showed numerous times last night.

All in all, I like the defensive performance, but the lack of speed is almost criminal at this point. Also, the only positive I have on Dach right now is that he hasn’t been killed by an opposition defender with his head down yet. He’s gotta pick up the speed because he is not a modern NHLer at this point.

As far as the Hockey IQ goes. What about being in the right place at the right time? That got a goal. What about his net front presence...something the Hawks missed dearly last year. What about his board play that winning the puck vs Stastny? That allowed for Kane's attempt that was saved only because Flower was playing amazing. I agree that he looked slow. I agree that his positioning was always the best. I agree that he missed clearing the puck a few times, but the grading scale we're working with is VERY steep. and I mean not even Toews/Kane are going to get passing grades. He's a high school kid, on his 2nd game, while having missed training camp.

Now let me be clear...I don't think he should stay more than 9 games. Don't waste that year, but he's playing in the NHL against good talent. The comp to Turcotte is not apples to apples. The Badgers have something like 4-5 1st roudners and are playing the Merrimacks and British Columbias of the world. NOT the Vegas Golden Knights and the Washington Capitals.

Do you think that is something he can learn? Can he get faster?

Players typically can improve speed marginally...they either have it or they don't. Rarely do you see a dramatic increase in their speed. Strome is a good example...he's improved his speed marginally but is obviously still slow. This is my problem with Dach and Strome, both centers, on the same team. Toews is slowing down obviously too. Now we have 3 centers that are all slow. We can't build a team around that very easily long term. It's obvious to me Dach is going to be better then Strome...he has more raw skill, but again, do we want 3 slow centers for the next few years? The other issue is Dach and Strome both aren't good at the dot either. Can that improve....yes.

I’ll start with the speed question. In all honesty, he could, but the question Is actually whether or not he wants to. I know that’s a weird answer, but I’ll put it this way. Dach has always been the biggest guy on the ice. It’s his advantage and it’s how he thrived for years. Now he’s in a league where the team who drafted him doesn’t necessarily care that he’s slow. If anything, they just care that he’s a big body with good hands. He may eventually get stronger and into an actual two way player, but that may be years off. I still don’t think he’ll ever be 1C caliber, I have him at 2C tops, but he’s gonna be the hawks 1C cuz it’s what ownership is gonna dictate. Speed wise, he could, but I just don’t think they see it as a priority. If they did, they wouldn’t have drafted him, cuz he was probably thee slowest forward of the first round.

As for hockey IQ, this is tough. I’m gonna put it this way. Was he in the right place for the goal, you bet. Kudos kiddo. Also, thanks maatta for whatever you trying to do on that play. Did he make the play that led to Kane’s chance, sure thing. Kudos kiddo. Net front presence, I mean I guess, but even Andrew Shaw at 5’11’’ is better at it than him (I get it, he’s 18). But, then there’s the flip side. Did he do bad in his own end, yes he did. Kudos kiddo. Did Lehner hail mistakes of his, amongst others, yes he did. Kudos kiddo. Where his hockey IQ really gets a knock from me though is influence. What I mean by this is how does he influence those around him? In a word, nil. Dach is not a guy that makes others around him better, others make him better. In fact, you can through speed into this argument too. At his peak potential, dach doesn’t look like a player who commands a game. Kane does. Hughes will. Turcotte will. Toews did in his prime. Kakko, on the other hand, actually doesn’t, he needs line mates that make him even better. Same with guys like laine. Yes, he’s 18. However, he is a third overall pick being trusted to play in the NHL. I didn’t choose that. Exo, you didn’t choose that. Bowman did though, and his job depends on it. The point I’m making, is that Dach needs a cast around him to make him better. His hockey IQ is such that he can’t dictate a game on his own. He doesn’t see the game the way Hughes or turcotte do. But because he was the 3rd overall selection, I will continue to rake his feet over the coals cuz that’s the expectation Stan Bowman placed on him. I may never like this kid, but I can respect him, but that has to be earned. Hockey IQ is knowing that if you can’t deke through someone, you skate it wide and bring your teammates into the play. Hockey IQ is covering your player in your own zone. Hockey IQ is knowing that when your sat for the ENTIRE second period, a message is maybe being sent. Hockey IQ means correcting your mistakes the second they happen. Yes, he’s 18.

Lastly, the turcotte comparison. Hate to tell everyone but turcotte is freakin sick. Don’t think for one second that he’s not a future 1C. Turcotte is the antithesis to Dach. He’s fast, aggressive, great vision, and is built like Sidney Crosby. Now, of course, because he wanted to go to college, Stan took a pass on him. However, while he may be in college and not playing the knights or caps, he will be far better ready for the NHL in a year or two than Dach. That’s because he makes others around him better, his hockey IQ is remarkable. Not to mention he gets stronger, faster, and oh btw he is a great two way forward. So in this regard, yes, it’s actually apples to oranges. But boy oh boy is turcotte gonna have fun making us regret not taking him.

Do you think Dach will ever be good for the hawks or do we end up trading up for a bag of pucks because he never pans out?

I’d love it if the Kings would still give us turcotte for him straight up. In my mind though, the NHL is going to continue to pass dach by. He’s as fast as he’ll ever get, cuz you can’t teach speed. Odds are he’ll always need to have a player on his line to make him better too. In the end, he won’t ever get traded cuz if he does, bowman is fired.

@HatterTParty Dach needs time to develop. I agree there, but when I read your posts it just seems like you focus on the negative Only and Only when it comes to Dach. Then the positive about the other prospects. I'd LOVE to have Turcotte. I agree that he's going to be a really really REALLY good player. But you know who else needs a cast around them to play well in 2019...Jack Hughes (2 points, 35% FO%, 8 games) and Kappo Kakko (2 points in 7 games). Let's not pretend like NJ and NYR aren't fighting OTT for worst teams in the league AND that these guys have supporting casts themselves..Taylor Hall (Hart winner) and Chris Kreider (very good forward in his own right). Dach's played 2 games. I'd personally send him back after 9 games and allow him to develop more. I don't want to rush his development. Rushing his development is how you get a Jesse Puljjoaisdfjafdf...pool party or Nail Yakupov.

Exo, your right, I do admit to focusing on the negative on Dach and maybe the better of other prospects. But you have to remember the perspective I'm looking from. Dach was 3rd overall, defined the Franchise center of the future. He more talked up than boqvist, beaudin, or jokiharju combined! Now, admittingly, I hated his size and lack of speed from the start. That was a huge mark against him, especially in a fast NHL. I can't not see that and I have to live with that as long as he's a Blackhawk. Then you take into account how he got taken out by a 5'10'' player never making it to the NHL and how slow he's been in the 2 games he's featured in. I am critical of Dach because we lucked into a Franchise altering pick and we chose THIS GUY?! I will forever be critical of this guy because Bowman has made it so. He is a relic of a past era and it's on him to prove everyone who said we were stupid for taking him wrong.

Other prospects didn't have this kind of hype and importance in the eyes of Bowman and the scouts. Ergo, I don't expect them to be crazy good immediately, in fact, I'm very patient. I love Boqvist, Beaudin, Gilbert, Kurashev, and others. We actually have some good speed in this organization that is sorely missing on the Hawks. But Dach is not that kind of player, no, he's on another level! He's a messiah in the making according to Bowman. I don't even expect him to go back to Saskatoon anymore, cuz I genuinely believe Bowman won't send him back. Will that be bad for his development? I don't know anymore, cuz nothing about his development so far has gone the way it was suppose to. Bowman has made him the Franchise Player, and as a dedicated fan, I will not give him breaks. I may never like him, but he can earn my respect.

As for Hughes and Kakko, Kakko is another player that needs a supporting cast. I've always known that and I won't debate or discuss that further as I agree with that assessment. However, with Hughes, the sad truth is that I always figured he should have been given a year to develop. Yes, the #1 overall pick needed a year to develop, sacrilege I know. But, he's also a player that will always influence a game at his best. He sees everything differently and skates like the wind. Dach isn't the quality of either of these guys though, and I'd even say he's the worst of the top five picks. However, Bowman made him the messiah at #3, not the fans. We just voice our opinions.