Philadelphia Flyers
Early Reaction to Flyers Giving Dvorak a 5-Year Extension
Discover how the Christian Dvorak extension with the Flyers has sparked reactions among fans and analysis from experts.
One fan wrote, “I’m probably Dvorak’s biggest fan on here. Five years is unacceptable and unnecessary. Now everyone will hate Dvorak. He won’t be able to live up to it, and his confidence will be shattered. They always do with these types of deals. Very unfortunate.”
This is not the only fan to suggest this regarding the Philadelphia Flyers’ decision to give Christian Dvorak a five-year, $5.15 million-per-season extension. According to Kevin Kurz of The Athletic, the agreement carries a no-trade clause for the first two years, a limited no-trade clause in years three and four, and finally, no trade protection in the fifth and final year.
Signed by the Flyers last summer to a one-year, $5.4 million deal, Dvorak has been an ideal fit. He’s produced 25 points in 39 games, putting him on pace for a career year by a wide margin. Somewhat unexpectedly, he has emerged as Philadelphia’s top center, and the Flyers are finally trending toward being a playoff team.
He could have tested the free-agent market at peak value, potentially cashing in on a career year. Instead, he signed early when the Flyers made a more-than-fair offer.
“We’re very happy to have Christian be a part of the Philadelphia Flyers for the foreseeable future,” said Flyers’ GM Daniel Briere. “He has played a pivotal role in our team’s success this season and proven to be a reliable, two-way center that can be trusted in all situations. More importantly, he plays a big role in our locker room and has fit in seamlessly to our group and what we are building.”
While all of that is true, what some people are pointing out is that Dvorak is doing most of his really good work this season. He’s not been a player to have this kind of production in the past, and he may not be able to keep this pace.
“He’s about to turn 30 years old. He’s never had more than 38 points in a season. He’s had every opportunity in the world this season, next to Trevor Zegras, because he played for [Rick] Tocchet before. There’s no reason at all to give him a five-year contract. The only reason he has a $5.4M contract right now is that this is the only place he could get those opportunities, and they overpaid on a one-year contract to get him here. Not a fan of this one…knew it was coming…I thought three years was the worst-case scenario.”
Not Everyone Agreed This Was An Overpay
Some fans thought this was a solid deal. “If you think a five-million AAV is an overpay, you just proved how much of a casual you are,” wrote one fan. They added, “You clearly don’t know what the future cap projections look like. He’s currently on pace for 50-60 points this year. This is the first time he’s played higher minutes and has made the most of it.”
If it’s true that Dvorak is scratching the surface of what he can do when given the opportunity, then yes, this is a good value.
If he becomes a constant and consistent fixture in the Flyers’ top-nine, someone that can play center, and produce, this is a team-friendly deal.
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