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<p>The Canadiens should keep Christian Dvorak next year</p>

Originally posted on Dose.ca | Last updated Apr 9, 2025 1:45 PM ET

The last time Brendan Gallagher was producing properly, it was in 2020-2021. He was then forming a trio with Tomas Tatar and Phillip Danault, which was good for him.

The Habs destroyed that trio due to circumstances and Gally hasn’t been the same for years.

You’ll tell me that injuries had their say and it’s clear that’s true. Nobody can say the opposite since it was an important aspect of what was being said about #11: he’s always injured.

But this year, he’s found his groove. With Christian Dvorak at center and Josh Anderson on the wing, the Habs veteran is rolling well.

How well is he rolling? On the heels of the playoff race, the guys in his trio are really stepping up. They’re not more productive than Nick Suzuki individually, but they are more than the captain’s trio.

Last 12 games:
Dvorak + Gallagher + Anderson: 14 goals, 30 points
Suzuki + Caufield + Slafkovsky: 14 goals, 29 points

— Guillaume Villemaire (@GVillemaire13) April 9, 2025

Dvorak hasn’t played significant hockey since his arrival in Montreal in 2021, after the playoff run.

Now, we see that in important moments, he’s capable of stepping up. The trio he forms with the two veterans is defensively responsible and he’s able to contribute to the offense.

Anderson and Gally are still under contract for two years, but Dvo will be a free agent. Do we really want to let the center go and risk affecting, like in 2021, Gallagher?

Wouldn’t it be better to sign Dvorak for two years, for example, to keep the trio intact until 2027? Will the main person involved say yes to that this summer?

Of course, that doesn’t mean Dvorak wants to sign a two-year contract. But will the roommate of Cole Caufield want to stay in Montreal with the team of the power of friendship?

The guy is loved in town. His unlikely presence in the end-of-game hug for months says a lot.

the habs power of friendship (esp cole encouraging slaf ) pic.twitter.com/5koxuMiWZE

— nick suzuki sniffles (@habsfolder) January 5, 2025

I’m convinced that Martin St-Louis, who relies on his veteran for defensive missions and to start overtime, would like to keep his center for the rest of things.

Note that last March, I had raised the possibility of keeping him in town.

We must keep in mind, however, that with Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Patrik Laine, Alex Newhook, Kirby Dach, Ivan Demidov, and a potential #2 center who will potentially fight for playing time in the top 6, keeping Dvorak might be risky.

It will be up to Kent Hughes to decide.

in rafale

– Gabriel Perreault will be a healthy scratch tonight.

Peter Laviolette confirmed that Gabe Perreault will be a healthy scratch tonight.

(h/t @MollieeWalkerr) pic.twitter.com/yQCn9LSykj

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 9, 2025

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– Wow.