The Philadelphia Flyers have decided to keep Christian Dvorak around for the long term and not have this just be a one-and-done experiment after signing him last summer.
Announced by the team, just hours after it was rumored to be happening through multiple sources, the Flyers have signed Dvorak to a five-year, $25.75-million contract extension that starts next season. That comes in at a $5.15-million AAV through the 2031-32 season.
DONE DEAL FOR DVO. 📃✍️
We have agreed to terms with forward Christian Dvorak on a five-year contract extension worth an average annual value of $5.15M. https://t.co/0jLng32Pec
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) January 6, 2026
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According to The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz, Dvorak will have a full no-trade clause for the first two years, that then goes down to a limited no-trade clause for years three and four, and then it’s complete free rein for the final year of his contract, with no trade protection whatsoever.
“We’re very happy to have Christian be a part of the Philadelphia Flyers for the foreseeable future,” said Flyers general manager Danny Briere via the team’s press release. “He has played a pivotal role in our team’s success this season and proven to be a reliable, two-way center that can be trusted in all situations. More importantly, he plays a big role in our locker room and has fit in seamlessly to our group and what we are building.”
Dvorak signed a one-year, $5.4-million contract with the Flyers on July 1 last summer, as an immediate addition down the middle. Philadelphia needed someone to play center and it snatched the player that would agree to signing just a one-year deal that has at least some capability of being more than a bottom-line forward. It was seen as a high cap hit because of the single year, and now Dvorak is getting an extension very close to that number.
Why? Almost immediately, head coach Rick Tocchet linked Dvorak next to fellow newcomer Trevor Zegras and since the former Anaheim Duck has elevated into being this team’s top forward, the veteran free agent acquisition was brought along to the top forward line. Dvorak has now scored nine goals and 25 points through 39 games — well on his way to breaking his 38-point career high he made in the 2019-20 season.
Flyers commit future to keep some security around
The Flyers will be heavily criticized for this. It is a taste of what Flyers fans have been used to for years before this management group was put in place — committing multiple years to keep some mid-level player around for a lot longer than anyone expected because they are terrified of the risk. The risk that comes with this team going into next season without someone who is capable of being a middle-six center when they don’t really have a center prospect banging on the door.
And that being said, Jett Luchanko is the obvious answer for someone who wants to think Dvorak is blocking a prospect. There is an argument there but the most likely situation is that Luchanko will start his first couple of months next season down in the AHL with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms no matter what; and the decision will go from there.
Jack Nesbitt, Heikki Ruohonen, Cole Knuble — the other Flyers prospects that play down the middle are multiple years away. That’s the Flyers thinking. It’s all about trying to keep the current level of competition and not sinking down to the bottom of the standings, and having Dvorak around after finding some chemistry with one of their best forwards, keeps the status quo.
Is it smart? Is it forward-thinking? We’re not sure. There is a risk of this not panning out and Dvorak reverts to his fourth-line self as soon as next season and the Flyers suddenly have a very expensive bottom-six center that they just signed for several years.
Let’s just see how it all goes from here but it’s not looking like a deal that fans will be happy with in a couple years.