Canadiens’ Kirby Dach returns to Chicago playing free and poised to have his

At the beginning of April last season, Kirby Dach was mired in a nine-game funk with only one assist to show for it when Chicago Blackhawks interim head coach Derek King was asked about the young centre’s offensive potential.

“I think he’s still untapped,” King responded. “There’s offence there. Is he going to put up Patrick Kane numbers? I hope he does, but I just don’t see that coming. But he can be a solid two-way centreman and can put some numbers up. It’s not going to be off the charts, but this is something we’ll have to keep building on for him.

“Sometimes it’s hard for those young guys to accept that they’re only going to get 40 points in a year, not 60 or 70. But they don’t see the other side of it. The other side is he defends against the top lines, he plays well in his end, he gets out (on the ice) in crucial moments of the game.”

Was the groundwork being laid in Chicago to accept that the No. 3 pick from the 2019 draft would be no more than a 40-point player? That his defensive potential was his primary calling card?

When King provided that analysis, he didn’t know there were only four games left for Dach in a Blackhawks uniform because of further wrist issues that cut his season short.

Dach, who returns to Chicago for the first time Friday, finished his third NHL season with nine goals and 26 points in 70 games, a long way off from the 40 points his coach was talking about, and even further off the expectations for a third overall draft pick.

From the Blackhawks’ perspective, it might not be all that surprising that general manager Kyle Davidson decided to trade Dach coming out of his entry-level contract. As a restricted free agent, Dach would be seeking a raise, injuries had slowed his progression and some in the organization questioned his work ethic.

We can talk about the need for a new start, but why would a rebuilding team turn its back on a young player who would fit the timeline of the new direction the team was taking, one who began producing points as soon as he arrived with the Montreal Canadiens?

Kirby Dach celebrates David Savard’s game-winning goal in Columbus on Wednesday. (Emilee Chinn / Getty Images)

Davidson began a full rebuild for the Blackhawks and, rather than invest in a player the team no longer believed in, perhaps it was better to cut their losses and trade Dach while he still had value, landing the No. 13 pick at the 2022 draft and figuring when the Blackhawks are ready to be competitive again, they will have a Frank Nazar that is ready to start making an impact as opposed to one who is just about to hit unrestricted free agency.

That said, there is something counterintuitive about getting rid of such a young player after investing so much in him.

“If you give up on a player who is 21 years old, whether that’s in hockey or whatever, I think you haven’t shown a lot of patience, and you maybe don’t have the big picture in mind, or much of a growth…