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Two Canadiens players on Frank Seravalli’s list of 25 candidates to be traded
Credit: Photo by André Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images
The most enjoyable moments of the hockey season are fast approaching, in my opinion.

The free agent market and the draft, where your team’s identity can change overnight, are the two big events of the off-season.

In the case of the Habs, this will be very interesting to follow, as the club will be drafting fifth overall, and with the salary cap up ($88 million) for next season, we can expect Hughes to spend a minimum anyway.

In the meantime, however, trades can be made, and Frank Seravalli has published a list of 25 candidates who could change address.

The list includes two Canadiens players: David Savard (18th) and Christian Dvorak (23rd).

Mitchell Marner, Martin Necas and Nikolaj Ehlers are on the podium.

Trevor Zegras is the last player on the list.

But for Canadian players, that’s not surprising.

As for Savard, we had to wait until the very end of the last trade deadline to see if he would stay in Montreal. In the end, he did, but that doesn’t mean he’ll start the season in the metropolis. The club has several good young defenders in its line-up who need playing time, and the Quebecer, as good and important as he is, won’t be part of the team’s long-term plans.

The right-hander will earn $3.5 million until July 1. He could be a nice addition for a club looking for stability on defense. He could leave before the start of the season, but if not, expect his name to make a lot of noise next March (again). #Datelimitedtransactions

As for Christian Dvorak, he was injured for much of the 2023-2024 season, so his name didn’t make that much noise at the trade deadline.

He too will become a free agent after the end of the season. And he clearly won’t be extended.

At a salary of $4.45 million, he’d be very cheap to acquire. The problem is his contract, but I imagine that at 50% of his salary, a team could take a chance on him as a third center. He could be an Adam Henrique-like acquisition by the Oilers a few months ago: a responsible 200-foot player who can pick up points here and there.

Would Montreal, which is currently holding back two salaries (Jeff Petry and Jake Allen), dare to use its third retention for Dvorak? We’ll see.

Overtime

– Definitely.

– He’s just days away from becoming a free agent.

– His contract is a real liability.

– Your weekly dose of baseball here.

– The Alliance’s poor start to the season continues.

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