Canadian | Christian Dvorak wishes himself (finally) good health

(Brossard) Only nine Canadiens forwards and defensemen have played the team’s last three seasons and are still part of the organization. Among that group, no one has played fewer games than Christian Dvorak.

The American center, acquired from the Arizona Coyotes in the summer of 2021, has been limited to 150 games in three years, which represents just 61% of the club’s 246 games. That’s slightly less than Brendan Gallagher (170) and Joel Armia (169), two regulars in the infirmary. Less also than Michael Pezzetta (175), regularly left out by his coach.

Of these nine survivors, in short, no one was more unlucky than he.

Dvorak was particularly hard hit last season. He missed the first 10 games of the season to complete his rehabilitation following knee surgery. And a few weeks later, he reinjured himself, this time to the pectoral muscle: another surgery and another convalescence, which this time cost him 42 games.

So it was no surprise on Sunday to hear him say that he wished himself “health” in 2024-2025. It almost seemed like New Year’s Day celebrations.

The last two seasons have been “difficult,” he explained. In fact, he had been limited to 64 outings in 2022-2023, in particular because of the knee injury mentioned earlier. A modest total… but nevertheless higher than the previous campaign, his first in Montreal, during which he played only 56 games. All this bad luck added a “mental load” to his journey.

He tips his hat to the team’s medical staff who accompanied him every day during these trials. And also to Kirby Dach, who became his treatment partner last season. “We helped each other on difficult days. When we weren’t feeling great, we could talk about it.”

Through his misfortune, Dvorak received a rare bit of good news in April. He beat the odds and was able to play five games late in the season. “Mentally, it helped,” the 28-year-old forward said. “All that hard work had paid off. I felt good, and it felt good to play a few games before the summer.”

“I have it in me”

So Dvorak is finally healthy. During the offseason, he says he prioritized improving his individual skills and his shot.

Above all, he is now paying tenfold attention to his physical preparation. He assures that he will do “everything in [son] power” to avoid the infirmary. “An extra treatment, an extra stretch, better nutrition: every little thing, I hope, will improve my chances.”

He’s missed so many games over the past three years that we almost forget his place in the Habs’ organization. Until proven otherwise, he’s the one who’s been piloting the club’s third line. Or the fourth, depending on how you evaluate Jake Evans’ unit. Since the start of training camp, Dvorak has been at the center of Josh Anderson and Joshua Roy.

Much has been made of Anderson’s struggles last season, but the centerman has had his share of on-ice struggles as well. He was limited to nine points in 30 games, which is the equivalent of 25 points in 82 games — an abnormally low production for someone who was averaging 35 to 45 points per full season.

With him set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer, putting up points would serve both his team and his career. And that’s while he’ll still embody, with Evans, the defensive responsibility at five-on-five and the lifeblood on the penalty kill.

Even though he assures that he is not bothered by his contractual situation, Dvorak knows that the moment would be oddly well chosen to make a good impression.

“I think the pace of the season will help me,” he said. “I’ve had good stats before in my career, I know I have it in me. I have to keep the confidence and have a good season.”

In short

Big Brother to the Rescue

A funny moment after Sunday morning’s practice: When a reporter asked Florian Xhekaj if he expected to be “tested” on the ice soon, given his last name, his brother Arber leaned over to grab the microphone and answer for him. “Nobody’s going to test him, because I’m going to be there,” he said, causing laughter in the press scrum. The two will very likely play their first preseason game in the same uniform Monday or Tuesday, and they took the opportunity to pay tribute to their parents. “They spent all their money to get us to play hockey,” Arber said. “We both played AAA, which is so expensive with hotels, travel … My mom slept in the car when I practiced at night and dragged me out of bed the next morning for school. They made a huge sacrifice.” [Jouer ensemble devant eux] will be special.”

Hutson with Savard

Head coach Martin St-Louis made some changes to his practice squads on Sunday. Squads 1 and 2 look suspiciously like the teams that will face the Philadelphia Flyers and New Jersey Devils on Monday and Tuesday, but it’s not yet known in what order. Squad 3 is now made up exclusively of players with AHL contracts or likely Laval Rocket prospects, such as Xavier Simoneau and Riley Kidney. That reshuffling of the deck has sent Lane Hutson and David Savard not only to the same squad, but also to the same pairing. No one will be knocked off their feet if this combination stays the same through the end of training camp, and even into the season if Hutson, as many believe, lands a role with the big club.