The Canadian | Christian Dvorak, questions and choices

He generally leaves the public indifferent, but his coaches love being able to count on him: Christian Dvorak is eligible to return to play Saturday night, when the Canadian will visit the Saint-Louis Blues. The entry of the center player into the lineup will, however, have consequences on the management of the squad and will force management to make a difficult decision… or not. La Presse takes stock in 7 questions on this all-important issue.

Will Christian Dvorak play Saturday night?

“It’s very possible,” admitted Martin St-Louis, Friday afternoon in St. Louis. Anyone who closely follows the team’s activities would add: it’s very likely. The American had to miss the start of the season to complete his rehabilitation following knee surgery. His name was therefore placed on the long-term injured list, which meant he had to be out for a minimum of 24 days and 10 games, which brings us to this Saturday. However, from training camp, Dvorak skated with a certain intensity. He quickly joined his teammates in training, first with a sweater excluding him from contact, then without restrictions for several days already. During the last week, he took part in all the exercises, unceremoniously. Far be it from us to make a diagnosis, but he seems very ready to take the collar again. And his trainer seems just as ready to make a place for him.

Can he just replace RHP?

Rafael Harvey-Pinard left Thursday night’s match in Arizona prematurely. Injured in the “lower body”, he is re-evaluated on a daily basis. “Nothing serious,” we are told. Couldn’t the Canadian give him an evening off in order to insert Dvorak into the lineup? Well no. Because the Habs squad already includes 23 players, the maximum allowed. For Dvorak to simply replace Harvey-Pinard, the Quebecer’s name would have to be added to the injured list, which would make him ineligible to play for at least seven days. If, indeed, it is nothing major, we will not want to deprive ourselves of its services for longer than necessary. It will therefore be necessary to remove a player and transfer him to the minor leagues.

The easy solution

The simplest, by far, would be to transfer Joel Armia or Gustav Lindstrom to the Laval Rocket. Since it has been less than 30 days since their last recall or they have not played 10 games, they can return to the American League without going through waivers. This solution is, however, imperfect. Armia has proven, during his short stay with the Rocket, that he does not belong in this league, and he is doing quite well with the CH. As for Lindstrom, he is the only extra defender at the moment. In the very short term, if only to complete the team’s three-game trip, logic would dictate that we resort to this quick and easy solution, even if it means recalling the unfortunate man quickly.

The complex solution

Since they are used part-time so far, Jesse Ylönen or Michael Pezzetta would be good candidates for a demotion. However, as they have to go through the waiver, they should not have to worry too much. Management has never yet risked losing one or the other of these two attackers without getting anything in return: it would be surprising if that happened suddenly. We can also completely rule out this possibility for the moment, since they would have had to be subject to waivers on Friday, just like Cayden Primeau. However, it could, theoretically at least, happen in the coming days.

The shock solution

If the Canadian finds himself in this situation, it is in particular because one of the three reserve positions is occupied by Cayden Primeau, who has only played one game so far and who is not expected to play soon. “He will see the net again,” promised Martin St-Louis, who nevertheless stressed that the brilliance of Jake Allen and Samuel Montembeault, his starter on Saturday, made a more equitable three-way split more “difficult”. Asked if he had had enough of this situation, Montembeault responded in the negative, specifying that the team was doing “a good job with it”. His comrade “like any player, would like to play more”, added the Quebecer, who assured that Primeau kept “a good attitude”. We know that the club’s management fears that another team will claim the young goalkeeper on waivers: perhaps we have changed our minds, but if so, it would be a shock. A regulatory exception would allow him to be sent to play in Laval for 14 days for “conditioning” purposes. If applicable, however, this would not resolve the problem of surplus personnel, since Primeau and his salary would remain associated with the main workforce.

The thunderclap

There is a very simple solution on the administrative level, but which would cause a thunderbolt in the province: transfer Juraj Slafkovsky to the Laval Rocket. The Slovak, who is in the second year of his NHL entry contract, can indeed be sent to the minor leagues without any problem. And with all the troubles he has experienced in recent matches, there would be a certain consistency in taking this route, although such a move would break with the strategy that has been established for him, namely to supervise his development by keeping him in the NHL. “It’s not something we’re talking about right now,” Saint-Louis said regarding this scenario.

Modified training

Regardless of the solution chosen, it will always be necessary to find a place for Dvorak in the CH formation. Which ? Your hypothesis is as good as ours. He will play in the center, assured Martin St-Louis, who notably invoked his “ game over 200 feet”, his passing skills and his efficiency in the faceoff circle. Will the coach seek to minimize the upheavals, or is he preparing to juggle all his combinations? “I don’t know yet,” he replied eloquently. The question nevertheless deserves to be asked, while nothing is going well for the trio of Slafkovsky, Alex Newhook and Josh Anderson, and the trio of Nick Suzuki is still looking for a right winger. We will know more during the morning training on Saturday, unless Saint-Louis prefers to maintain the mystery until the evening.

The match between the Canadiens and the Saint-Louis Blues will be presented at 7 p.m., Quebec time.