Knee operation: Christian Dvorak unlikely to be ready for start of season

It’s no secret that last year, the Habs didn’t have a great season.

There were some highs, but many more lows. One of those lows: injuries. Almost everyone was injured, and this led to changes in the organization. Graham Rynbend (head sports therapist) and Donald Balmforth (head physiotherapist) have been dismissed.

One of the injuries that occurred during their reign was that of Christian Dvorak. The forward underwent knee surgery on March 15, and Montreal had said he would be back for next season.

But according to Arpon Basu’s article on The Athletic, Dvorak is not ready for training camp. In fact, he could miss a week or two of the regular season.

Were there any complications with the operation? We don’t know yet. One thing’s for sure: it’s not a good start to a season (although it hasn’t even begun). In 64 games last year, the center collected 28 points. He’s never been the all-time leading scorer, but when Marc Bergevin went looking for him, we expected a lot more from him.

By 2023, he no longer seems to be in the team’s plans, at least not for the long term. The 27-year-old American is still under contract for two more seasons, and fans already seem fed up with him. They’re clamoring for his departure. And with congestion up front, I’m sure Kent Hughes is trying to get rid of the player.

His absence at the start of the season could give young players a chance to shine. Could Lias Andersson, for example, who has just come to an agreement with the team, be an interesting option? And even if the plan wasn’t to play him at center, it’s not as if there’s a shortage of centers in Montreal. In addition to Dvorak, there’s Nick Suzuki, Sean Monahan, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Kirby Dach and Jake Evans.

Even if he’s not a crowd favorite, we hope Dvorak returns as soon as possible. After all, if he does well, he could interest a few general managers around the league at the trade deadline.

Highlights

– Training in pictures.

– Nice comment.

– Great story.

– Too bad.

– Jays swept again by Boston.