There are still a few months until the trade deadline, but some teams have already started making their wish lists. With a remarkable start to the season, the Devils probably won’t need to go after another impact player, but there is always room for improvement.
In discussion with Pierre LeBrun of The AthleticDevils general manager Tom Fitzgerald explained that he is very happy with New Jersey’s latest acquisitions, but that he would like to add a depth player to his roster.
This is what LeBrun revealed in a text published Monday evening on the website of The Athletic.
Fitzgerald would especially be looking for a center player to support the team’s fourth line. He would like this player to be able to win important faceoffs and to be able to play well on the penalty kill.
The Canadiens therefore perhaps have the solution to resolve the Devils’ problem. Montreal could trade Christian Dvorak to New Jersey to get a little something before the end of his contract.
Some people will say that Dvorak would have no place because he was on the fourth line for a long time on a bad team like the Canadiens, but you should know that his game has improved in recent weeks.
It is also important to understand that Dvorak checks every box in Fitzgerald’s research.
Dvorak is capable of playing shorthanded and he does extremely well. He is currently the center of the second wave of numerical inferiority in Montreal.
The Canadiens have an 81.9% penalty kill efficiency this season, which ranks them seventh in the entire NHL.
Dvorak is also the only Canadian center player to have won more than 50% of his faceoffs this season. He has won 54.4% of his duels in the circle so far.
With an impact of $4.45 million on the payroll for Dvorak’s contract, the Canadiens should however retain a good portion of the center player’s salary.
He is, however, a rental player. His contract expires at the end of this season, so the Canadian would not have an impact on his payroll for long by withholding salary.
If he continues this momentum, Dvorak could catch the eye of several teams looking for a center player who can help on defense or in depth.
In burst
– Ovechkin is not human.
– Maple Leafs fans are happy.
– A little training help for Calgary.
– He does very well in the faceoff circle.
