Canadiens Listening to Trade Offers On Christian Dvorak This Offseason

As per a report by Jimmy Murphy of Montreal Hockey Now, he cites a source saying the Montreal Canadiens have put Christian Dvorak’s name out there in the NHL trade market. The forward is coming off a season where he scored 11 goals and 33 points in 56 games for the Canadiens, a very similar year he had in production to the season prior where he played for the Arizona Coyotes.

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While it is believed the Canadiens are not actively shopping the veteran center, GM Kent Hughes has not been shy about answering the phone, nor making it known that he’s willing to listen to offers.

This is not the first time the Canadiens are looking to see what’s available in return for Dvorak. That same source said there was interest in the forward prior to the NHL Trade Deadline but ultimately, he wasn’t moved because teams at the deadline weren’t necessarily willing to add players with multiple years still remaining on their contracts. In Dvorak’s case, he has three seasons remaining at a $4.45 million cap hit.

Just because the Canadiens are shopping him doesn’t mean he’ll be moved. What the club is doing is seeing what kind of return is out there and if it’s worth moving him as the club makes offseason changes and tries to reverse their fortunes from a terrible 2021-22 campaign. Speculation is that the Dvorak could earn the Canadiens a first-round pick, or at least a second and a prospect. If true, the Canadiens would probably be willing to make that deal as part of the retool/rebuild.

Another source said the first-round pick would not be a high pick. If the Canadiens can get that much, it would be more a mid to lower selection.

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