Canadiens Dvorak Season Is Over, Call-Up Options From AHL

The Montreal Canadiens announced forward Christian Dvorak’s season is over.

The 27-year-old tore his pectoral muscle and will undergo surgery on Friday, ruling him out for the remainder of the schedule. In 27 games, Dvorak had managed to score just three goals and four assists.

This is an unfortunate result for the centre, as he was hoping to find a new gear this season to extend his stay in the NHL beyond his current contract. Dvorak’s contract runs until 2024-25 and pays him an annual average value of $4.45 million.

The injury also means the Canadiens will not be able to trade the centre by the deadline as some had hoped, though his health certainly takes precedence over any type of potential deal.

The news comes on the heels of a rare positive injury update, as forward Josh Anderson will not miss any time despite leaving Tuesday’s game in considerable pain. Unfortunately, the Canadiens have arguably the worst injury luck in the history of hockey, as evidenced by their record-setting seasons in which they led the league in man games-lost.

L’attaquant Christian Dvorak ratera le reste de la saison en raison d’une déchirure à un grand pectoral. Il se fera opérer demain.

Forward Christian Dvorak will miss the remainder of the season due to a torn pectoral muscle. He will undergo surgery tomorrow.

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) January 4, 2024

Call-Up Options

With Dvorak on the mend, the Canadiens will have to recall a player from the AHL.

But the options are few and far between when it comes to available Laval Rocket players, especially when we consider Mitchell Stephens has already received the call from the Habs.

Joshua Roy can be recalled, though the Montreal Canadiens have avoided handing him a promotion this season, and are likely to continue down the slow but steady development path for their prized prospect.

Brandon Gignac does not own an NHL contract, and thus cannot be recalled at the moment, but he has been the team’s best centre in the last few months. Gignac leads the Rocket in scoring with 10 goals and 18 assists in 30 games.

Riley Kidney is currently sidelined (day-to-day), which means the most likely call-up will be veteran Philippe Maillet. He had a very slow start to the season but has scored six points in his last four games. He’s also a centre who has experience playing in the KHL.

Arber Xhekaj with the one-touch pass to Philippe Maillet for a Rocket power play goal! pic.twitter.com/IKj13vPdpb

— Scott Matla (@scottmatla) December 30, 2023