Former Christian Dvorak coach admits he didn't reach his full potential
Since his arrival in Montreal, forward Christian Dvorak has received nothing but good comments about him. Whether it was from former teammates or coaches, they were all unequivocal that CH fans would love him.
This time, it was Rick Tocchet who had good things to say about his former player. The 57-year-old was the Coyotes' coach from 2017 to 2021. So, he was the one who led Dvorak in the last four campaigns in Arizona.
He says Dvorak is the type of player who is becoming increasingly rare in the NHL.
"He's a solid center, they're hard to find 200-footers, who can put the puck in the net, especially in the slot. He draws quickly, but he can also score garbage goals in front of the net."
That was quite a statement from Mr. Tocchet. After the departure of Phillip Danault and Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Marc Bergevin had no choice but to move quickly. The acquisition of Dvorak fills the void left by Danault, while adding another dimension to the offense.
Still, in five seasons in the Bettman circuit, the 25-year-old's best total is 38 points. However, Tocchet believes that using Dvorak all over the place on defensive assignments may have hurt his offensive development.
"He's really developed his faceoff percentage. I used him a lot in multi-roles, I think that hurt his offense a little bit... when you do that, there's a lot of wear and tear and your offense suffers. With Montreal, he'll obviously play with a deeper team."
It's true to say that Dvorak was not in the best possible situation in Arizona. The Coyotes haven't been an offensive threat in a long time. In Montreal, the Illinois native will have the chance to be surrounded by good wingers, which could allow him to blossom on the scoresheet.
After the first day of training camp, Dominique Ducharme revealed a bit about his future trios. Dvorak was surrounded by forwards Jonathan Drouin and Josh Anderson. Talent, speed, physical play and defensive play, this trio could give headaches to opposing teams.
Will we see the emergence of Christian Dvorak this year?
