Chicago Blackhawks: Kirby Dach has a chance to bloom next season

The Chicago Blackhawks are hoping to see Kirby Dach have a big year in 2020-21.

With the third selection in the 2019 NHL Draft, the Chicago Blackhawks surprised the hockey community by taking Kirby Dach. He was selected over a stud defenseman like Bowen Byrum so you have to know that the Hawks were very high on him. They believe he has the tools to be their number one center on a playoff team one day. We knew that Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko were going to be the first two picks so the Hawks really kicked of the intrigue at pick three.

In 2020, it is hard to confirm or deny if it was the best possible pick but that doesn’t even matter that much anymore. Dach is their guy so they just need to make sure he uses his tools to the best of his ability to become the best player possible.

What is the best player possible for Kirby Dach? My comparison for him coming into the 2019 NHL Draft was Ryan Getzlaf. He is a potential Hall of Famer for the Anaheim Ducks and Hawks fans will remember him from some insane battles during the regular season and playoffs so if Dach can turn into that, it would be great for Chicago.

Getzlaf was special because of his ability to be a big-bodied centerman that can make big-time passes and score big goals. Leadership is also a key to Getzlaf’s game and Dach seems to be ahead of his age in terms of maturity. It would be great to see Dach turn into a player like that.

You were able to see how dominant he was at times during the return to play bubble against the Edmonton Oilers. He had a few months off to train and be ready for it and he looked like a completely different player than before the pause. He showed that big skill that earned him a third overall pick during some of those games so now you know he has the ability to continue developing with time off.

That should leave people to believe that this second offseason that he will have in between now and the start of 2020-21 should be good for him. Because of COVID-19, we don’t know exactly when the season is going to start but when it does you should expect Dach to start to bloom.

Now, he certainly won’t have a career year or anything because he is still young but we can still expect him to show big development. He will be another offseason stronger and he will know more of what to expect going into the regular season. It is exciting to think about what he may be able to accomplish as the Hawks look to him to lead their next core.