There is no secret that Montreal Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes wants another quality forward. The team’s top exec recently brought in surprise free agent winger Chris Kreider on a one-year deal. Despite this, Montreal still seemingly has a need at the center position. More specifically, the Canadiens could certainly use a new second-line center.
Respected NHL journalist Marco D’Amico recently discussed potential upcoming targets for Hughes on his podcast. Among the players named by the reporter was St. Louis Blues forward Dalibor Dvorsky. According to D’Amico, St. Louis would likely rather trade one of its wingers, but could look to move the center if their season starts to fall apart quickly.
The journalist pointed out that the Blues youngster already has chemistry with Montreal Canadiens star Juraj Slafkovsky. The two forwards previously played together on the Slovakia national team. While D’Amico was careful not to say that trade was imminent, he did claim that Dvorsky could very well become expendable due to Mason McTavish’s summer arrival in St. Louis.
“For me, the moment they got Mason McTavish, I always thought Dalibor Dvorsky was a trade chip,” stated D’Amico. “Maybe right now he’s a third-line center, but I think he’s an everyday at least second-line center in his prime. They have McTavish signed long-term, [Robert] Thomas isn’t going anywhere, that means Dvorsky is doomed to the third line. So he’s an interesting trade chip if they ever want to upgrade their defense.”
Montreal Canadiens Could Offer Quality Defensemen in Dalibor Dvorsky Deal
Any chance of the Montreal Canadiens landing Dvorsky hinges on multiple factors. For starters, McTavish is going to have to hit the ground running with the Blues. St. Louis previously sent two first-round draft picks to the Anaheim Ducks to acquire the center. He has five seasons remaining on his six-year, $42 million contract, but statistically regressed during the 2025-26 campaign. The Blues need him to be a true 2C moving forward.
On top of this, Hughes and Montreal would obviously have to appease his St. Louis counterpart with an acceptable offer. As D’Amico pointed out, the Blues may want defensive reinforcements in any trade. Lucky for the Canadiens, they just happen to have an excess of blueliners at the moment.
Due to a positional logjam, highly rated defenseman David Reinbacher was recently sent down to the AHL. The Montreal Canadiens may be reluctant to offload Reinbacher right now. However, they are open to using fellow blueliner Adam Engstrom as trade bait. Hughes also has top prospects Bryce Pickford and Alexander Zharovsky (a winger) at his disposal.
Montreal Would Love to add Another Highly Rated Youngster to Lineup
Potentially landing Dvorsky will be a tough task for the Montreal Canadiens. Not only is he a former 10th-overall selection in the 2023 draft, but he is under team control at a low price through the 2027-28 season. The center previously signed a three-year, $5.2 million deal (around $900K AAV) with the Blues.
Dvorsky recorded 21 points in his first full NHL campaign in St. Louis a season ago. Nevertheless, the center is expected to be a solid middle-six forward in the near future. The Athletic’s Corey Pronman recently rated the Slovak star as the third-best youngster in the Blues organization.
Canadiens Linked to Landing $5.2 Million Blues Budding Star