Arizona Coyotes lose Christian Dvorak indefinitely after surgery
By James Reeve
The Arizona Coyotes have been dealt a disappointing blow with the news that Christian Dvorak will be out indefinitely following surgery.
Dvorak had been working his way back from a lower-body injury when he tore a pectoral muscle during a rehabilitation skate – with him requiring surgery Friday.
This leaves him with the real possibility that he will not play at all in the 2018/19 season, a huge loss for a Coyotes team that needs more goalscoring.
The Coyotes (2-4-0) have been without Dvorak, Alex Galchenyuk and Jakob Chychrun so far this season but it looked as if the trio had finally turned a corner in their respective recoveries.
But now, the 22-year-old that has 70 points (30 goals, 40 assists) in 156 regular season games since joining the Coyotes, looks set to be out for many months.
Per Arizona Sports 98.7FM, Arizona Coyotes President of Hockey Operations and General Manager John Chayka commented on the severity and uniqueness of the injury.
"You hope it’s not the season, but it’s not out of the question. – John Chayka"
The Coyotes have currently only scored eight goals in the league so far this season, the lowest total of all 31 teams.
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Dvorak is typically good for around 15 goals a season and could’ve looked to increase this with the impressive number of chances the team is creating this season.
Losing Dvorak for such a long time could force the team into looking at options, with little centre depth within the organisation outside of the main unit.
While it is too early to consider potential trades, the organisation could look to the free agency market to find a gap-filling player that wouldn’t likely cost much in the short-term.
Veteran players such as Shawn Matthias and former Arizona Coyotes player Antoine Vermette might be possible acquisitions to help the team cover for Dvorak’s absence.
Neither player is going to light up the league, but they have value as low-end depth centres and with the team struggling offensively, any potential help they can get should be considered.
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What do you think of this news Coyotes fans? Disappointed to see Dvorak go down? Who should the team look to fill the gap with? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!