Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but another Montreal Canadien is going to miss some time due to injuries. Today, the Canadiens announced that Christian Dvorak will be out for the remainder of the season as he underwent knee surgery. Dvorak played in each of the team’s first 64 games before missing the last four prior to this announcement.
Medical update on forward Christian Dvorakhttps://t.co/hnS54V7D0R
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) March 15, 2023
It’s been well-documented that the Canadiens have suffered more from injuries than anyone else, and that only grows truer and truer with each passing day. With Dvorak going down, the Canadiens get even thinner down the middle, with Kirby Dach, Sean Monahan, and Jake Evans also out with injuries for the foreseeable future. Someone should probably check in on Nick Suzuki and make sure he’s alright.
Dvorak has had a disappointing tenure so far in Montreal, with just 61 points in 120 career games with the Canadiens. He was acquired by Marc Bergevin in 2021 for a first-round pick in 2022 (Used by Arizona to trade up in the draft, San Jose selected Filip Bystedt with the pick) and a second-round draft pick in 2024. While Dvorak has been a good player in Montreal, he’s struggled to live up to the compensation the Canadiens paid for him.
Dvorak still has two years left on his current contract with a cap hit at $4.5 million, a reasonable deal for the 27-year-old. I still believe Dvorak can be a great player in Montreal, filling a much-needed role on every good team. He’s versatile, capable of playing on the power play and penalty kill, and he’s good in the face-off dot as well. Dvorak can be a very good third-line centre on a contending team, a place the Canadiens are trying to get to. He’ll have the opportunity to get there again next season.
#Habs Christian Dvorak's knee surgery was conducted by Dr. Robert Marx at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.
— Priyanta Emrith (@HabsInHighHeels) March 15, 2023
Dvorak is expected to make a full recovery before the start of next season.
For that reason, Dvorak could also be a name to keep an eye on from a trade perspective. He’s an effective NHL player with some control and the versatility many teams would be looking for. And while his time in Montreal has been a little bumpy, perhaps a change of scenery on a contending team would be what the forward needs to take his game to the next level. If the Canadiens intend to keep Kirby Dach at centre, they may consider moving Dvorak and just re-singing Sean Monahan at a cheaper rate, cashing in on Dvorak’s value while they still can.