Chicago Blackhawks: DeBrincat and Dach are not Kane and Toews

The Chicago Blackhawks have some very nice young players. There isn’t enough there yet where you can be excited about the future as there is still a long way to go but there are some positives. As far as the future, it is led by Alex DeBrincat and Kirby Dach. They are both very good and can be leaders on a very good team. However, you cannot say that they are Patrick Kane or Jonathan Toews. Those guys are the first-ballot Hall of Fame type players that are a tick above everyone else in team history.

The Chicago Blackhawks have been lucky to have great players over the years.

DeBrincat is a 23 year old winger that is becoming a stud. When he played with Connor McDavid and Dylan Strome as a member of the Erie Otters, it was clear that he was going to make a great winger in the NHL if he had good playmaking around him. Well, he is actually looking even better than we originally thought because he can be a bit more than just a sniper. However, he isn’t at Patrick Kane’s level and likely never will be.

As for Kirby Dach, he was the third overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. He had a solid rookie season and missed most of his sophomore season due to a wrist injury. The talent is there to be a dominant number one center. With all of that said, saying he is the next Jonathan Toews is just flat out wrong. Toews was everything you need in a centerman and more. That guy was next-level in terms of his competitive drive, leadership, and pure hockey talent.

Let’s be clear about something, that doesn’t mean that these two can’t lead the way on a championship-caliber team. They can be great if things develop that way. Saying they are the next Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, however, is just flat out wrong. Players as impactful as them don’t come around often. Generations can go by without seeing kids like that come through.

88 and 19 were so good that they led their team to three Stanley Cup championships. Kane has a Hart Trophy, a scoring title, and a Calder Trophy. Jonathan Toews also has those same three Stanley Cup championships along with a Selke Trophy and a Messier award. Each of them has one Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs as well.

Putting together a duo like that is amazing and something that shouldn’t be taken for granted. We are all rooting for Dach and DeBrincat to be the next great leaders but saying that they are the next Toews and Kane is both wrong and unfair.