Flyers To Pull Surprise Move with Christian Dvorak

Christian Dvorak, Philadelphia Flyers center celebrates goal

It looks like we'll soon be able to scratch another center off the ranks of unrestricted free agents next summer. At the beginning of the season, not many around Philadelphia expected the Flyers to be talking extension with Christian Dvorak before the new year. But here we are.

The 10-year veteran's strong performance in the first half of the season has the Flyers looking to sign him to a multi-year extension, reports insider Elliotte Friedman.

When you sign a 1-year contract, the earliest you can talk extension is January 1st. The Flyers and Dvorak are talking extension. I think everyone here would tell you it has to work for both sides to happen. He’s played very well there... What I can say is that there are other teams out there who do not expect Dvorak to hit the market now.

As noted by William James in Philly Hockey Now, extending Dvorak before he heads back to free agency is "a no-brainer."

The soon-to-be 30-year-old center signed a one-year, $5.4 million pact on the open market with the Flyers this past summer. After his performance thus far, he'll be in line for a multi-year deal that could even stretch into the four- or five-year range, writes James.

Dvorak in line for extension after terrific first half of season with Flyers

Dvorak has 24 points in 36 games, which puts him on pace to blow away his previous career high of 38 points set back in 2019-20. He's been a solid veteran presence, centering the team's top line with Trevor Zegras and Travis Konecny. He's a big part of the Flyers' renaissance this season.

The team is currently tied for 3rd place in the Metropolitan Division, at 19-11-7.

In 570 career NHL games, Dvorak has 273 points. Last summer, he was coming off a six-year, $26.7 MILLION CONTRACT, WITH A $4.45 MILLION CAP HIT.