Canadiens NHL Free Agency Options – Dvorak Versus Beauvillier

The Montreal Canadiens are yet to establish a clear plan forward to rectify their dearth of quality options among centermen.

Beyond the fact that Kirby Dach saw a significant dip in underlying numbers last season, not to mention his latest season-ending surgery, if the Canadiens do not re-sign centre Christian Dvorak they’ll be left with almost no depth down the middle of the ice, a precarious situation for any team, especially one that is hoping to maintain an upward trajectory after a surprise playoff appearance.

Finding a centre to play with Ivan Demidov on the second line may not be a feasible proposal in free agency, but a player like Anthony Beauvillier could help bolster the team’s depth while providing a relatively reliable source of tertiary scoring.

Montreal Canadiens Centre Options

Beauvillier mentioned to TVA Sports that contract negotiations with the Washington Capitals aren’t progressing very quickly, which means he may have to pivot once free agency opens on July 1.

If he does hit the open market, he’d welcome interest from the Canadiens.

“I’d want to discuss the term and the salary, but yes, if the Canadiens come calling I would definitely explore the possibility” he explained. “It’s a place where I would love to play, so we’ll how to see how things unfold, but I’d certainly consider an offer from them.”

Before anyone gets too excited, Beauvillier stated he’d like to re-sign with the Capitals first and foremost.

We also have to guard against players using the Habs as leverage in contract negotiations, which may be the case for pending unrestricted free agent Claude Giroux.

On that note, if there is legitimate interest in Beauvillier, the Canadiens would have to establish whether he would truly be an upgrade on Dvorak. For the most part, Beauvillier serves as a winger, but he can play as a centre.

Anthony Beauvillier Versus Christian Dvorak

With 12 goals and 21 assists in 82 games, Dvorak had a higher production rate than Beauvillier, however it should be noted that Beauvillier split his time between two teams after a trade between the Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins. He still managed to score 15 goals and 10 assists in 81 games.

Both players make a positive impact in terms of expected goals against, but that’s where the similarities end. Beauvillier has an edge in shot control, as well as overall expected goals.

As you can see in the Evolving Wild charts embedded below, Beauvillier’s impact at 5v5 is clearly superior.

Montreal Canadiens Brass Tacks

Dvorak is coming off a contract that carried a $4.45 million annual average value, whereas Beauvillier is fresh off a one-year deal that only accounted for a $1.25 million salary-cap hit, connoting that a potential deal with Beauvillier could end up being cheaper than re-signing Dvorak.

Of course, Beauvillier stands at just 5’11”, which flies in the face of the well-established narrative that the Canadiens are hellbent on getting bigger and meaner via the draft and free agency. We should probably avoid overcorrecting when it comes to the size issue. The two-inch height difference between Dvorak and Beauvillier is fairly irrelevant when we weigh their on-ice results.

All things considered, Beauvillier would likely be a reasonably-priced free agent signing who could serve as an upgrade in a position that desperately needs to be reinforced.

All Montreal Canadiens statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via Natural Stat Trick and Evolving Wild.