Montreal’s ever-growing injury list expanded Wednesday afternoon. The team announced forward Christian Dvorak received knee surgery, ending his season with 14 games remaining.
Medical update on forward Christian Dvorakhttps://t.co/hnS54V7D0R
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) March 15, 2023
Dvorak, who is in his seventh NHL season and second with the Montreal Canadiens at the age of 27, last played on March 7th against the Carolina Hurricanes. This season, Dvorak has collected 10 goals, and 18 assists, totalling 28 points. This is a somewhat underwhelming season for the 2014 58th overall pick. He came into Montreal before the start of last season with some promise as a legitimate second-line talent.
Christian Dvorak’s Season is Over
Dvorak’s struggles are a mirror of the Canadiens this season. Dvorak’s goals scored above expected is glaring and his inability to finish isn’t good. Still, the peculiar rate at which Canadiens players have faced injury this season has left Dvorak as one of the few regulars. Unfortunately, even stability for Dvorak individually was challenged this season. The high rate of injuries surrounding Dvorak often led to lineup instability. This has led to Dvorak sharing 30 minutes of time on ice or more with 10 different combinations of line-mates at 5v5 this season.
Outlook for the Canadiens Post-Injury
Implications for the Canadiens team are not overly large, as the team easily rests outside of any playoff spot. Anthony Richard was called up in his place from Laval in the AHL when Dvorak was first injured one week ago, which is another prospect and AHL player given an NHL opportunity with some minutes.
For Dvorak, all reports indicate he will recover from the surgery in full by the start of training camp in September. Unfortunately, injuries such as these often result in smaller-scale complications that entirely hamper skating mechanics longer-term. Luckily, Dvorak’s age should allow him to recover without significant issues longer-term, and perhaps strong training could push him back to the level of play he was building toward in 2021 with the Coyotes and return to play in the strongest form of his career.
Main Photo: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
