The Blackhawks drafted Kirby Dach two years ago today

In a move that shocked a lot of the hockey world, myself included, the Chicago Blackhawks drafted Kirby Dach two years ago today with the third overall pick of the 2019 NHL draft.

Everyone knew who was going one and two, Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko were going to New Jersey and New York, but who would go third overall was up in the air.

At the time, Dach was not my number one choice for the Blackhawks’ third overall pick.

I wanted the Chicago Blackhawks to add Bowen Byram with the third overall pick, the highly talented defensive prospect was one of the top players around and he now is a part of the Colorado Avalanche because the team added a forward.

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I understand why the team did make the move they made. Kirby Dach is an NHL player with a lot of potential upside in the future. He can become a 50 or 60 point-getter and help lead a team as one of their top centermen. He came into the league with size and was ready in year one to go.

Also, the team had already added a handful of young defensemen in the draft the previous few seasons and they needed to turn around and add a few forwards back into the mix otherwise their depth was going to be too defensively heavy.

All the moves the Blackhawks made ended up paying off in the end, as Dach has put up 33 points in 82 games. He would have more points if he didn’t suffer a tough injury this past season. Dach is a part of the debate for the best player from this draft class as of now, and unless the team plans to trade him for someone like Seth Jones or Jack Eichel I think he will be a big piece of the team for years to come.