The 29-year-old has given the Flyers some much-needed strength down the middle and is on pace for the best offensive season of his career. Emilee Chinn / Getty Images
Philadelphia Flyers general manager Daniel Briere's signing of Christian Dvorak to a one-year contract on July 1 has so far proven to be an incredibly shrewd move. The 29-year-old center has given the Flyers some much-needed strength down the middle, and is on pace for the best offensive season of his career with 24 points (eight goals, 16 assists) in 36 games headed into Tuesday's meeting with the Vancouver Canucks.
A contract extension could be coming. We mentioned that possibility back on Dec. 12, and Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman recently reported that the two sides have started chatting about it, too. Dvorak is eligible to sign an extension as soon as Jan. 1, 2026.
Let's examine this from a few different angles, Q and A style.
Beyond the production, Dvorak has simply become an integral part of the team. He's been the Flyers' top-line center for the past month, skating between their two best scoring wingers, Trevor Zegras and Travis Konecny. On the penalty kill, the only forward who averages more ice time per game is Sean Couturier. He's winning 54.4 percent of his faceoffs. In the dressing room, he's a quiet, respected veteran who simply goes about his business.
It's important to remember that Dvorak was also quite effective in the second half of last season in Montreal, after recovering from multiple significant injuries, including a torn ACL and torn pectoral muscle. Even after he signed with the Flyers, Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes said, "I think what we saw of him in the second half is really what he is. He just finally got back into a rhythm, back into real hockey shape."
Dvorak has carried that over, and then some, into this season.
As everyone knows by now, the biggest names at center that were set to be free agents have already re-signed with their teams. The center market is already looking like it will be pretty thin on July 1, just like it was last summer, when it forced the Flyers into what we figured was an overpay for Dvorak. Neither Connor McDavid nor Jack Eichel will be signing with the Flyers this summer.
There are also no assurances that the Flyers will have anyone in their system ready to make the leap to the NHL next season. While there could be some hope that Jett Luchanko might slot in, that's certainly no sure thing. It has to be a tad concerning to Flyers management that at the World Juniors right now, Luchanko is currently skating as a fourth-line winger for Team Canada, while other centers such as Michael Hage and Cole Beaudoin are further up in the lineup. Starting next season with the Phantoms could be the best option for Luchanko, who will finally be able to turn pro.
Others like Jack Nesbitt (No. 12 overall, 2025) and Jack Berglund (No. 51 overall, 2024) likely need at least another year or two to keep developing, too.
It's a reasonable argument. Considering so many NHL teams are seeking centers, the Flyers could get a decent haul back for Dvorak if they were to move him.
But like it or not, that's never been the Flyers' plan from the day they signed him. The Flyers are still aiming for a playoff spot this season, and it's difficult to see them reaching that goal without Dvorak, considering everything he's giving them right now. Briere has clearly indicated to the players in the dressing room that if they are able to put themselves in a good position, which they have done to this point, they deserve to make an honest push -- particularly the veterans who have endured several painful seasons of rebuilding.
Re-signing Dvorak sooner than later would send a message to the group from Briere that he believes they've earned the chance to keep building off their strong first half, and that he won't be selling anyone strictly for future assets ahead of the March 6 deadline. That could provide a decent emotional boost to the club.
From the Flyers' perspective, it's difficult to envision them wanting to go more than two years on a Dvorak extension, and almost certainly no more than three. Noah Cates is in the first year of his four-year deal, while Sean Couturier still has four more seasons after this one left on his contract. They see Cates as a steady middle-six center for the foreseeable future, while Couturier's contract probably isn't movable anyway.
The Flyers probably want to leave themselves some flexibility for at least one or two of their prospects -- or, in a perfect world, a talented young center they acquire via trade somehow -- to slide into the top nine by the start of the 2027-28 season, at the latest. I would think any multi-year Dvorak deal would have to come without any trade protection, or at least not beyond next season. They did something similar with Nick Seeler, whose no-trade clause expires on July 1, 2026, two years into his four-year deal.
The money might be the least important aspect of the deal from the Flyers' perspective. They have mountains of salary cap space for 2026-27 -- more than $46.7 million, according to CapWages. Although that doesn't factor in potential extensions for players such as Zegras, Jamie Drysdale or Bobby Brink, fitting in a Dvorak extension from a cap standpoint wouldn't be all that complicated. And they would still leave themselves plenty of space to explore other things.
We already know Dvorak enjoys playing for Rick Tocchet, which is part of the reason he signed with the Flyers in the first place. There's a real opportunity here for him to keep playing big minutes alongside his good friend Zegras, who is also thriving. As written here many times, a Zegras extension seems inevitable at some point, whether that happens sooner or later. Dvorak could set himself up for another handsome payday a few years down the road if he remains paired with Zegras.
So, what's Dvorak worth? According to colleague Dom Luszczyszyn, Dvorak is currently playing at a $6.2 million market value -- more than the $5.4 he's actually making this season. Moving forward, Dom projects Dvorak closer to a $4.8 million valuation.
A two or three-year extension at around $4.5 to $5.5 million annually, as long as it leaves the Flyers some wiggle room to move Dvorak in a couple of years if they need to, could be a logical landing spot.