The Philadelphia Flyers needed help down the middle heading into this offseason, and they’ve addressed that a bit by trading for Trevor Zegras and signing Christian Dvorak. While Zegras is more of a high-upside guy, Dvorak provides some stability in the bottom half of the lineup as a strong two-way presence.
Dvorak met with the media on Thursday and explained, among other things, why he chose Philadelphia and what role his former and new head coach, Rick Tocchet, played in his decision.
“That certainly helps, being familiar with Tocc and the way he coaches. He helped me out a lot in Arizona as a young guy, and we had a real young team there, too,” Dvorak recalled. “He was really good with us, and I know he’s going to be great with the young guys here in Philly. It helps a lot to know the way he coaches. Talking to him, I think it’s going to be a great opportunity for me, and I’m really excited for it.”
Dvorak was one of the young guys on those Coyotes teams, but now he’ll be one of the older guys on a young Flyers team. According to Elite Prospects, the Flyers had the third-youngest team last season with an average age of 26.54 years.
The 29-year-old center has established himself as a reliable third-line center throughout his career. He had two of his best years under Tocchet in Arizona, posting 37 points (15 goals, 22 assists) in 78 games during the 2017-18 season and 38 points (18 goals, 20 assists) two years later.
Dvorak explained why Tocchet helped him reach his peak during those seasons.
“He’s big on communication, which is huge. He always has an open-door policy, which is nice. He loves talking to everyone on the team and knowing what they’re thinking. I think that’s big,” he said. “Always a well-structured coach, everyone knows where they need to be out there, and offensively, he gives you some freedom, too.”
The veteran detailed what he thinks his role will be in Philadelphia based on his conversations with his head coach.
“He said there’s a big opportunity that they’re a little bit thin down the middle, so it felt like a great fit for me, a guy who can play a 200-foot game, play in all situations, win faceoffs, I think that was a big thing too,” he said. “I think it’s a great opportunity for me, and that’s kind of the role I’m expecting.”
It was a thin free-agency market, especially at center, which left Dvorak as one of the top options available heading into July 1.
“There were options out there. It’s a pretty stressful day. First time being a free agent so you never really know what it’s going to be like,” he said. “I thought (the Flyers) showed a lot of interest in me. They showed they wanted me a lot, which was huge. It’s always nice to feel that. I think it was just a good fit for me.”
The Flyers did, in fact, show a lot of interest in Dvorak — $5.4 million, to be exact. It was likely more than any other team offered him on an annual basis, but the Flyers did that — as Danny Briere stressed — to keep it to a one-year deal.
In a way, he’s betting on himself, but he sees a big opportunity with the Flyers as well.
“I guess so, a little bit,” Dvorak said. “There were other options out there, but I felt like it was just a great fit for me in Philly.”
Dvorak played a full 82 games last season for the first time in his career, and he didn’t show any signs of fatigue. He had 15 points (6 goals, 9 assists) in 23 games in March and April, and two goals in five postseason games.
“I want to build off last year with the momentum I had, getting better throughout last season and in the playoffs,” he continued. “I felt I took my game to another level late in the year, and want to start this upcoming year at that level. I’m confident in my abilities and just excited for the opportunity.”
It’s safe to pencil Dvorak in on the third line for the upcoming season with fellow centers Sean Couturier, Trevor Zegras, and Noah Cates in the mix as well. There is the possibility that Cates or Dvorak himself moves to left wing to play together on a shutdown line — Dvorak won 55.8% of his faceoffs last season while Cates won just 44.6% of his.
Dvorak should also be a key contributor on the penalty kill, replacing Ryan Poehling, and could see time on the second power-play unit to win faceoffs and help facilitate things.