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<p>The Canadiens should keep Christian Dvorak next year</p>
David Kirouac-Imagn Images

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.

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.

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.

Cody Bellinger: no more chicken wings for a while. [ Passion MLB]

– Wow.

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– Ryan Leonard is still in school.

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This article first appeared on Dose.ca and was syndicated with permission.

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Mike Grier’s drafting propelling Sharks to certain future
NHL

Mike Grier’s drafting propelling Sharks to certain future

The San Jose Sharks have ranked last in the NHL for two straight seasons. They’ve allowed the most goals-against (1,495) and scored the second-fewest goals-for (1,051) of the 2020s. And yet, it’s hard to imagine the Sharks’ headed towards anything other than an exciting, and profitable, future. With the help of the draft lottery, San Jose has built out a prospect pool that not only sits atop the league, but truly stands apart as well-crafted, high-performing, and set for cohesion at the NHL level. That’s a fairly easy feat to pull off for a team that’s landed talent as prolific as William Eklund, Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith. The trio have already emerged as prolific NHL scorers. Eklund reached the dazzling 40-assist mark as a 21-year-old this season. He was helped mightily along by Celebrini, who led the team in scoring with 25 goals and 63 points despite missing 12 games. That mark stands as the second-most from a Sharks rookie this century, behind Logan Couture’s 65-point rookie year. Smith ranks third on that list with 18 goals and 45 points this season. Those three will serve as the cornerstones of San Jose’s offense moving forward. Given how great the Sharks' starts have been, it’s hard to imagine the talent set to join them. San Jose landed OHL exception-status star Michael Misa with the No. 2 pick this season, following a season where he led the OHL in scoring with 62 goals and 134 points in 65 games. It was a finish in the realm of former OHL greats like Patrick Kane, John Tavares and Steven Stamkos. Misa has long been considered a superstar in his age group, and seems to have well outgrown the junior flight with his performance this season. With a hefty frame, pro-level skating and a clear scoring knack — it seems well possible that he could push into the NHL as soon as next season. San Jose had plenty of time to watch Misa as he faced off against a string of their top prospects this season. Winger Kasper Halttunen shined through as a strong, persistent sniper sat on top of the London Knights offense. He finished the regular season with 21 goals and 41 points in 38 games, then ramped to 15 goals and 21 points in 17 playoff games en route to an OHL and Memorial Cup championship. He was physically imposing, with the boost of tons of finesse on the puck and a killer wrist-shot. Those same descriptors could apply to Quentin Musty, who scored 30 goals and 59 points in 33 games with the Sudbury Wolves across the league. San Jose also laid claim to another bruting OHL winger in Igor Chernyshov, who racked up an incredible 19 goals and 55 points in just 23 games playing opposite of Misa. All three wingers seem to offer the hefty physicality and hard shot to compliment the nimble skill of players like Celebrini and Smith. 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Cowboys make questionable move amid Micah Parsons stalemate 
NFL

Cowboys make questionable move amid Micah Parsons stalemate 

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New report suggests Christian Wilkins release related to 'incident' with teammate
NFL

New report suggests Christian Wilkins release related to 'incident' with teammate

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NFL

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