At the beginning of this past offseason, the Flyers dabbled a little bit in the free agent market. The past few years, they sat back and watched as other teams, especially in the Metropolitan Division, signed all the top players. This year, instead of sitting poolside, the team dipped its toes in.
They signed free agent goalie Dan Vladar, who's turned out to be one of the best signings of any team this past summer. And while the signing of Vladar and the acquisition of Trevor Zegras in a trade have made Daniel Briere look like Einstein, another addition is going under the radar.
They also signed Christian Dvorak, a center/left winger, from the Montreal Canadiens. He was signed to a one-year deal for $5.4 million. Many Flyers fans weren't thrilled with it. Most of the reactions could be summed up as: "Oh mah gerd! How could we sign a guy like this for that much, even for one year! That's stupid!" Turns out, it seems to have been a good deal after all.
The rationale for signing Dvorak in the first place was the need for a quality veteran center who was available at a bargain price. While $5.4 million may not be cheap to us, as far as centers who can play in the NHL, it's not bad. He is known for being good in the faceoff circle. It was hoped that as the season rolled on, perhaps he could be flipped at the trade deadline for draft picks and/or prospects to a contender who could use a rental center for a playoff run.
The Case for Dvorak
But wait! The Flyers have found themselves as contenders now. Dvorak is a part of that. His 54.8% faceoff win percentage leads the team as far as regular contributors go (Couturier is right behind at 53.8%). That's also just outside the top 25 in the NHL (former Flyer Claude Giroux leads the league with a blistering 66.9%). Those draws become puck control. Controlling the puck has led to more scoring opportunities in the opponent's zone and a way to clear the puck out of their zone.
Offensively, Dvorak is having a career year. He has seven goals, just five shy of last year's totals. His 16 assists, third on the team behind Travis Konecny and Trevor Zegras, are six away from tying a career high. He is also 15 points short of his career high of 38 points. In short, they got a guy with more offensive punch than they had originally envisioned.
Part of that is where he played. In Montreal and Arizona, he was mostly a bottom-six forward. In Philly, he's bounced around the top three lines. He's fit in with the team, and you can see that chemistry coming on the score sheet as Dvorak is third on the team in points, again behind Konecny and Zegras, with whom he has spent the most time playing alongside.
So here's the thing. Dvorak is a free agent at the end of this season. He can be re-signed and extended in January should the Flyers see fit for a reunion.
If you look at the free agent class of 2026, the center market isn't too spectacular. You can spend money on an older vet like Anders Lee. You could pay a lot of money to lure Evgeni Malkin to the eastern part of PA. Perhaps you want a different well-traveled vet, like Erik Haula or Jack Roslovic. It could be that you are nostalgic and want a reunion with Giroux, Scott Laughton, and/or Kevin Hayes. Maybe you make a run on an RFA like Connor Bedard or Adam Fantilli.
Still, Dvorak would come at a lower price, and you know what you are getting with him. He fits in with this squad and can spell time at left wing if the team finds a new center or feels a young guy, like Jett Luchanko, is ready to step up.
Dvorak probably would take a two-year deal, maybe with a chance for a third year. If you take his current salary now and bump it up, somewhere around $5.75 - 6 million a year, that's not too much of an increase for a known quality player. Likewise, that's more money they could use to bring in other assets. Plus, you are not burdening yourself by signing an older vet to a long-term deal and blocking the road for a younger future star.
So far, Dvorak has shown he's been a quality signing. He should be rewarded with a new contract. He might not be a game changer in the spirit of an Eric Lindros or Bobby Clarke, but he's doing a good enough job to help this team get some wins. In the end, that is the most important thing. He's too good a talent not to consider re-signing. And if he demands too much, you can always move him by the deadline.