Quoting: ChiHawk
Offense will come. He is very clearly more gifted offensively then Strome (who doesn't have much of a defensive game either). He needs to put on some girth as he is pretty lanky right now. He also needs to further adjust to the game. That said, our boy Turcotte isn't playing a point a game in the NCAA (16 points in 19 games, 6 goals), so while I know Turcotte needs to mature for a year or two before playing pro, Dach is clearly the better player right now.
Ya see, I like this response. However, I will still ask, theoretically, if Dach did only become a defensive specialist and still post 50 points a season, would we be happy?
I do agree with you on the Strome analysis, but not for the reasons one may think. I think Strome is more offensive minded, whereas Dach has more offensive tools (passing, hands) although I do think his shot needs work still. However, where I think people really wont agree with me is that neither Strome nor Dach are drivers of play. Caveats not withstanding, I know he's 18, but a lot of the offensive production he has generated this year has come from being around energy players like carpenter and smith. That's not a knock on Dach, cuz you can see how well its worked out for Strome.
As for Turcotte, or any player that isn't in the NHL from this draft, I'll gladly bet good money any of the top 10 forwards will easily outscore Dach in their rookie years. Granted that isn't saying much given Dach's lack of production, but it speaks more to how they're learning. All these kids in college/juniors will go into their rookie years full of confidence and having learned from mistakes in roles with less pressure on them. They were given time to grow not just as players but as adults. Dach wasn't really afforded that, which is unfortunate, but because Hughes and Kakko have struggled, many use that as misguided proof that Dach belongs. It really sucks to hear it too.