Chicago Blackhawks: Drafting Dach opens door for Strome trade
The Chicago Blackhawks have a lot of pretty good centers. They might be able to move Dylan Strome now that they have Kirby Dach in the mix.
The Chicago Blackhawks didn’t miss the playoffs by very many points in 2019. They didn’t have great odds in the draft lottery as a result but they did get very lucky. The New Jersey Devils won the first overall pick, the New York Rangers won the second overall pick, and the Blackhawks won the third overall pick. The Devils selected Jack Hughes followed by Kaapo Kakko to the New York Rangers. Then, the true intrigue began with the Hawks pick at number three.
They selected big center, Kirby Dach, from the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL. He is projected to be one of their top-six centers for a very long time. There is even a hope that he takes over as the team’s number one center when Jonathan Toews is past his prime. That is a tall order but Dach has the talent to do so.
Well, he made the team out of his rookie Training Camp which impressed some people. He made it passed the nine games to burn his entry-level deal so he was locked into a roster spot for the season. Well, he had a pretty good rookie season for a teenager. He had eight goals and 15 assists for 23 points in 64 games for Chicago. For his 18-year-old season, he had good production and it can only get better.
Drafting Dach might have opened the door for the Hawks to make some moves. Dach and Toews could be the 1-2 punch of the next few years and you never know who could be drafted in the future drafts. That could open the door for a Dylan Strome trade. Strome is a great player that is also a top-six center so he might be able to get the Blackhawks some assets.
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Strome is also on an expiring deal that will make him a restricted free agent. The Hawks have his rights but with him due for a raise, they might be looking to move him. If they see Kirby as a huge piece of their future, which they do, they could eventually move Strome so Dach can be the full-time second-line center. Obviously, this is just speculation but anything could happen. The door is certainly open for it to happen.