When the Flyers first announced that Christian Dvorak had signed a free-agent deal, there were plenty of howls. Some felt he was too old. Others felt that his production didn't warrant him coming here. Outside of faceoffs, he's not a scorer, not a bruiser, and not a star player. Why waste time signing him when a younger player, like Jett Luchanko, could/should take that spot?
It didn't take long for Flyers fans to see what Daniel Briere and company saw. The 29-year-old center had a career season with the Flyers. He tied a career high with 18 goals and set highs in assists (33), points (51), and shots on goal (151). He spent most of the season, interestingly enough, as the top-line center flanked by Trevor Zegras and Travis Konecny. He was summarily rewarded with a five-year, $25.75 million contract.
Dvorak may not be the power center that everyone is hoping for. He's not Leo Carlsson or Dylan Larkin. Still, he won 54.5% of his faceoffs. He centered a line that helped Zegras have a career year and Konecny his usual solid numbers. His stability may be boring and not flashy, but it gets results.
It's that solid, stable, fundamental play that helped the Flyers return to postseason play. He's not one to make mistakes. He doesn't screw up a game. He found a connection with his linemates, developed an on-ice relationship, and found a way to contribute at a high level.
What Can We Expect This Season?
Will he stay at center? Well, that's an interesting question. After all, he had a good season last year. Why wouldn't he be the team's starting center?
If you look at the roster, the team has Sean Couturier and Noah Cates. They'll most likely try to play Zegras at center again. After all, that was the main point of acquiring him. He was supposed to be that power center that the team was looking for. Rodrigo Abols is gone, but the Flyers are hoping that Jett Luchanko finally makes the jump to the roster.
However, Luchanko will start the year in Lehigh Valley for more developmental time. Couturier will likely center the fourth line again, as he had a lot of success last year. We'll see if Zegras can become the center the team needs or if he is better on the wing. Denver Barkey has played some center and might get some opportunities there. Cates will most likely center the second or third line.
As for Dvorak, he'll probably start out centering one of the top two lines. If Zegras can handle the center position well enough, he could push Dvorak to the second or third line.
Much of this will depend on who is paired up with whom. Could Dvorak be centering Zegras and Konecny again, or would he center Matvei Michkov and Porter Martone? Whoever he has the best on-ice chemistry with during practice and camp will determine that
The thing is, he was signed for five years. You don't get that long of a contract if you are not envisioned as part of the team's long-term efforts. Dvorak has shown that if the team has faith in him, he'll produce. We'll see what happens in year two as a Flyer.
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