The Montreal Canadiens are going to do plenty of moving and shaking in the next few days. They hold plenty of draft capital, including that coveted first overall pick, and are said to be heavily working the phones on the trade front as well.
While they are sure to add plenty of prospects with the 14 picks they own, they could also trade a few between now and the end of the draft on Friday afternoon.
They could also be moving on from a couple of veteran players between now and the end of the week as well. Jeff Petry has had his name in the rumour mill since November, Josh Anderson is said to be garnering plenty of interest as well.
Another player who could be on the way out is Christian Dvorak. The Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes has to look at all options to make this team competitive in the long run. Dvorak has three years left on a reasonable contract, but how good are the Habs going to be in those three seasons?
Does it make more sense to move Dvorak now? It sure does if a great offer comes along. The Canadiens acquired Dvorak last offseason for a 2022 first round pick that was initially owned by the Carolina Hurricanes and the Habs second round pick in 2024.
Dvorak was coming off a season where he scored 31 points in 56 games when the Habs gave up a first and a second for him. A year later, he is coming off a season where he scored 33 points in 56 games. So, what is his value? It can’t have changed much, if at all.
Dvorak is a serviceable second line centre that still has the potential to score more if he stays healthy and finds the right linemates. He’s never going to be a point per game played, but he has scored like a 48 point player over a full season for the last two years.
He is just 26 years old so there is lots of good hockey left in him. It isn’t wild to think he could get 55-60 if put in the right situation. What will that cost another team? Let’s take a look at some possible returns the Canadiens could get if they trade Dvorak this week.