Once plagued by unrealistic expectations after being acquired by former Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin to replace Philip Danault, Christian Dvorak was given a much more suitable role this year. Between Brendan Gallagher and Josh Anderson, the American was tasked with pivoting a reliable veteran third line, and he delivered.
For the first time since joining the Habs, Dvorak was able to play a full 82-game season, and there’s no doubt it helped him find both stability and a certain rhythm. It didn’t make him a points-producing machine; that’s not who he is, but it allowed him to give a full effort, which meant Martin St-Louis knew precisely what he was getting every time he sent his third line in.
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While Dvorak put up over 100 points in his last two seasons in the OHL, he did it while playing alongside Mitch Marner and Matthew Tkachuk. In the NHL, he hasn’t had that kind of linemates, and we’ve seen what he can do without superstars on his wings. His best NHL season, offensively speaking, came in 2019-20 with the Arizona Coyotes when he put up 38 points. This season, he scored 33 points, which is about as much as one has come to expect from him.
Dvorak also played a reliable two-way game and was counted on for big shorthanded minutes, and he delivered skating alongside linemate Josh Anderson on the second penalty kill. He doesn’t play a spectacular game, but he is focused on the task at hand and delivers.
In the sixth and final year of his $4.45 M per year pact, Dvorak delivered on the team’s revised expectations and played his third-line center role as well as he could. He might have missed a few opportunities here and there offensively, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s hard to fault him for it. In my opinion, Dvorak deserves a B- for his performance this past season.
Will he be back next season? It doesn’t appear very likely at this stage as his contract is up, and Kent Hughes has already extended Jake Evans. The Canadiens’ GM has said in the past that there must be opportunities for the kids in the organization to graduate, and it appears to me that Dvorak will be a casualty of that approach. He was well-liked in the room and was a roommate to sniper Cole Caufield, but hockey is a business, and that likely won’t be enough to convince Montreal to sign him again.
Photo Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
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