One player the Canadiens could unexpectedly trade in the 2024 offseason
The Montreal Canadiens can speed up their rebuild with a big trade, but that also means one player could also unexpectedly be on the move.
It may not look like it, but Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes has quite the power play to work with. He’s got an outstanding prospects pool, young talent on the big club that is among the most intriguing in the NHL, and quite a few draft picks he can afford to part ways with, something I realized while concocting Mock Draft 2.0 for the Canadiens.
If there’s a player on the trade block that would make sense for Kent Hughes to try and bring to Montreal, there’s nothing stopping him from moving more established talent in the main lineup. We discussed that about a few players recently, like Michael Matheson and Brendan Gallagher, but there was one player who could factor in just as much of an unexpected, but sensible trade, and that player is Christian Dvorak.
Okay, so what would make Dvorak such an unexpected but sensible trade chip? For one, he would be easier to move when we’re talking about veteran players in the NHL with no-trade clauses attached to them, as Dvorak has just an eight-team no-trade list. For another, he probably isn’t signing another deal with salary worth an AAV of $4.45 million.
A Christian Dvorak trade would unexpected but sensible for the Canadiens
Dvorak will earn $5.75 million this season, but as mentioned, that number will trek south starting in 2025-26 when he’s due for another contract. Plus, he would make for an outstanding player on the lower lines of a contender or even someone who has the potential to contend for a playoff spot.
Dvorak is also gifted at winning faceoffs, taking over 50 percent of his draws in each of the past seven seasons. In return, Hughes could get a solid prospect or a young player who he could easily find a home on Montreal’s middle-six, if not more.
Players like Dvorak also become valuable down the stretch and even more valuable in the playoffs, and contending teams know this. So, while you can expect Dvorak to spend the final season of his current contract in Quebec, there are plenty of reasons to believe he could also be part of an unexpected trade this summer.
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