In Arizona, it’s not unusual to see birds of prey gathering the carcass of something that used to be so full of life. This comparison could not be more accurately used to describe an NHL team than the Arizona Coyotes. A team weaponizing their cap space to aid their future, the Coyotes are listening to offers on anything of value. One player suspected to be on the move is Christian Dvorak.
Dvorak is a very versatile player. Capable of playing both left-wing and down the middle, he is another option to be used on the powerplay. His high-end offensive upside would provide another middle-six piece, and that is something we know the Carolina Hurricanes desperately need. While this might not be the most high-end piece to fill that hole, it certainly would be effective.
Dvorak is still one of the better players on the market in the league for what he provides. He’s a 30-35 point forward who’s got some injury issues. While this might not seem like a lot, Dvorak had 17 goals and 14 assists for 31 points this season. This was only a 56 game season. That is a 45 point pace, by far his best season in the NHL.
At the age of 25, Dvorak is still capable of maturing defensively. From here, it’s very unlikely he gets any more dynamic in terms of his offensive production, but teaching defensive structure is something you don’t always need your speed to do. Saying this, Dvorak is not inept defensively. He’s not in Selke conversations, but he’s not a complete traffic cone either.
Over five seasons with the Arizona Coyotes organization, Dvorak 302 NHL games. In that time, he’s collected 67 goals, 79 assists, and 146 points. Not too bad playing for a team that’s been rather underwhelming around him. While a lot of coyotes have had ups and downs, the Palos, Illinois native has been rather consistent during his time with the Coyotes.
So, what would it take to persuade Bill Armstrong to part with this player? Well, Arizona is openly in a rebuild, so the package would have to be based around prospects or picks to allow the team to have the best chance of being good in the future. Apparently, their asking price is two prospects with first-round pedigree or a prospect with that caliber and a first-round pick.
The Carolina Hurricanes organization is lucky to boast one of the deepest prospect pools in all of hockey, with many great players. So which ones would Carolina likely have to part with to attract the attention of Arizona? Well, my guess is that one of them would have to be Dominik Bokk. Acquired in the trade with St Louis that sent Justin Faulk to the city of Arches, Bokk was a 1st round pick by the Blues.
At the price Arizona is asking for Dvorak, there’s not going to be a lot of teams with the assets or desire to move for the player. If Christian Dvorak does more on from the Coyotes this off-season, the Carolina Hurricanes seem as good a theoretical landing place for him as any. While there’s a very slim chance this happens, it’s still fun to think about!