Early reaction to flyers giving Dvorak a five-year extension

One fan wrote: “I’m probably Dvorak’s biggest fan here. Five years is unacceptable and unnecessary. Now everyone will hate Dvorak. He won’t be able to deliver and his self-confidence will be damaged. They always do that with these types of deals. Very unfortunate.”

This isn’t the only fan to suggest this regarding the Philadelphia The Flyers decision to give Christian Dvorak to a five-year, $5.15 million per season extension. According to Kevin Kurz of The Athleticthe agreement contains a trade ban clause for the first two years, a limited trade ban clause in years three and four, and finally no trade protection in the fifth and final year.

Dvorak, who was signed by the Flyers last summer to a one-year deal worth $5.4 million, was an ideal fit. He has recorded 25 points in 39 games, putting him well on pace for a career year. Somewhat unexpectedly, he has emerged as Philadelphia’s top center, and the Flyers are finally on the verge of becoming a playoff team.

He could have tested the top-level free agent market and potentially cashed in on a career year. Instead, he signed early when the Flyers made a more than fair offer.

“We are very pleased that Christian will be part of the Philadelphia Flyers for the foreseeable future,” said Flyers general manager Daniel Briere. “He has played a pivotal role in our team’s success this season and has proven to be a reliable, two-way center who can be trusted in all situations. More importantly, he plays a huge role in our locker room and fits in seamlessly with our group and what we are building.”

While all of that is true, some people are pointing out that Dvorak is doing most of his really good work this season. He hasn’t been a player who produces this kind of production in the past, and he may not be able to keep up this pace.

Flyers Nation wrote:

“He’s about to turn 30 years old. He’s never scored more than 38 points in a season. He’s had all the opportunities in the world this season, alongside Trevor Zegras, because he played for [Rick] Tocchet earlier. There is no reason to give him a five-year contract. The only reason he’s on a $5.4 million contract now is because this is the only place he could get those opportunities, and they paid too much for a one-year deal to get him here. Not a fan of this one… knew it was coming… I thought three years was the worst case scenario.”

Not everyone agreed that this was overpayment

Some fans thought this was a good deal. “If you think a five million AAV is way too much, you just proved how much of a casual person you are,” one fan wrote. They added: “You obviously don’t know what future cap projections look like. He’s currently on pace for 50-60 points this year. This is the first time he’s played higher minutes and has made the most of it.”

If it’s true that Dvorak is just scratching the surface of what he can do if given the chance, then this is good value indeed.

If he becomes a fixture in the Flyers’ top nine, someone who can play center and produce, then this is a team-friendly deal.

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