He would pair well with Slafkosky on a second line with one of Farrell, Beck or Mesar.
Really? No way of knowing unless it is tried. Could be the furthest thing from the truth.
In fact, even as a winger, Dach is a pass-first forward who has enough size and desire to dig pucks out of the corner ands play in and out of the opposing G's paint.
That's precisely why he is such a good match with Caufield and Suzuki. Caufield is a notable sniper who can also make a decent pass, while Suzuki is a premiere playmaker who can slow down the game, but also a C that can either rifle one past the opposing G or lob it into the net with a deft touch.
Dach has two sniper options in Caufield and Suzuki and a bonafide tic-tac-toe possibility when he chooses to dish it to Suzuki.
On that line, Dach doesn't have the responsibility of taking the F/Os (a dismal flaw in his game with his % been in the 30s, if not low 30s), but he can support Suzuki in his defensive missions as a C in our zone once he sees that Suzuki has an opportunity to run with the puck.
Putting Dach back at C presumes chemistry with two (not one) winger and overlooks the huge learning curve that will need to be surmounted in the dot taking F/Os before Dach can merit commensurate TOI for a top-6 forward.
I'm entirely comfortable with keeping Dach at RW on the Suzuki line and trying to find another legitimate top-6 C, t=rather than trying to force Dach back into that role.
A double threat C on a second line will always be a better option than Dach, IMO. Historically, pass-first, bordering on pass-only Cs plateau.
Montreal has found a niche for Dach to excel and earn tons of cash past this 4-year contract (what a smart move to sign him for that long at so little money).
We should be happy with that.
