Christian Dvorak not yet cleared to play

Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes has said that Christian Dvorak is not yet cleared to play and will need to meet with his surgeon one more time. Dvorak underwent surgery on his knee in March and was expected to be fully ready for the start of the 2023-24 season. Whether that will be the case or not seems to be up in the air now.

Dvorak joined eight other Habs on the injured reserve when he went down in March, speaking to the plague of injuries that Montreal experienced last season. In the 64 games he did appear in last year, Dvorak recorded 10 goals and 28 points, both career-lows when accounting for seasons where he played in 25 or more games.

This includes the 2021-22 season, his first year in Montreal, where he tallied 11 goals and 33 points in 56 games. That season was also dampened by injuries, with a lower-body injury holding him out for a month mid-season and an upper-body injury keeping him out for roughly two more in the spring.

Dvorak has two seasons left on his deal carrying a $4.45MM cap hit. These last two seasons also carry a modified no-trade clause that will allow Dvorak to submit an eight-team no-trade list should Montreal want to move him.

Dvorak, now 27, is in an interesting spot relative to the rebuilding Montreal Canadiens. He has yet to appear in a full 82 games and hasn’t played more than 64 since 2019-20. With a modified no-trade clause now in effect, how the Canadiens move forward with the cost-controlled Dvorak should be an interesting glimpse into what their plans for the next few years may be.