A non-splashy solution? Does Christian Dvorak's extension fit the Flyers’ long-term plan?

PHILADELPHIA -- In the biggest moment of his life, a time when he was going to sign a contract worth $25.75 million, Christian Dvorak needed a witness. 

When you sign such an important contract, someone needs to be present to confirm that you willingly put pen to paper to codify such an agreement. 

But by the time Dvorak got around to printing it out, reading it over and actually signing the 5-year extension with the Flyers on Monday night, he was home, alone. 

Needing a witness and it being late at night, there was only one person who he thought he could ring that would be up for the task. 

"He drove over to my house last nighty at, like, 11 o'clock, and I was his witness," said his linemate, Trevor Zegras. "That's something I'll never forget. It was awesome. I was like, 'this is the coolest thing ever.'"

Dvorak's contract has an AAV of $5.15 million. It also comes with two years of a no-trade clause, and an additional two years with a modified no-trade clause.

It was a great contract for Dvorak. There's nothing better for a professional athlete than getting financial security for beyond your playing days. 

But was it a good contract for the Flyers?

Everyone in the organization thinks so. 

"Centermen are tough to find - they're gold," coach Rick Tocchet said. "He's come in here and he's done a really nice job for us. I know him really well. I think (General Manager) Danny (Briere) and (President Keith Jones) like his game. 

"He's well-liked in the locker room. He's a culture guy. He's a guy that comes into camp in shape, does the right things and you're keeping character and quality in the room. It's good for us."

Zegras agreed with his coach.

"He's the best," Zegras said. "He's as good as it gets on the ice and off the ice and he's one of the most well-liked guys I've been around in terms of a hockey player in a locker room."

He's good for the locker room. He's good for morale and culture. That's all great. But is he good for the team on the ice? Does he make them a better team?

The viral reactors online sure don't think so. 

Flyers Twitter is handling the Christian Dvorak contract extension extremely well.

— Bill Colarulo (@BillColarulo) January 6, 2026

The working theory from the Cacophonous Collective (which is my term for the 50 or so people on Flyers Twitter who scream the loudest) is that five years is too long a contract. That he's just another third line center who is happening to have a career year and this is a desperation signing by the Flyers considering they lack centers in the organization who are close to NHL ready.

There is also the notion that Dvorak turns 30 next month and that this new deal will take him into his mid-30s, which isn't when players are usually at their best in the NHL.

And there are those who are aghast that he was given some semblance of a no-trade clause for four of the five years of the extension. 

Of course, these are surface-level debates that are easy to cling to when you want to hear yourself yell. 

The reality is, signing Dvorak is just a signing. It's neither a savvy, 4D chess-level signing nor is it an egregious, franchise-limiting signing. The Flyers probably gave him one more year than they wanted to, but did it to bring the AAV down to a much more palatable number. That's the give-and-take of contract negotiations. 

Firstly, the AAV of his contract is less than he's making now, and that's with the salary cap going up, so, the money is not, nor never should be an issue - in fact, it's a positive for the Flyers.

It doesn't negatively impact the cap, but secondly, it's ultimately a tradable salary. It's not something that is going to be prohibitive for a middle six forward.

It's also a sign from management to the locker room that the organization believes in the team. Rather than let an unrestricted free agent linger until closer to the March trade deadline, and uncertainty cloud everything, they locked him up now. 

No questions of will he stay or will he go? No wondering if trading a decent player like that would cause the team to crumble - much like when they traded pending unrestricted free agent defenseman Sean Walker at the deadline in 2024. 

There is a clear message to the locker room that there is a belief they can make the postseason and be a hard out - and to prove that belief, they were making a locker room favorite a part of the team for seasons to come.

As for the no-trade clause, it's really only for two years. Yes, there's a modified no-trade in years three and four, but those are often flexible and rarely do they ever hinder a potential deal. 

That said, if the Flyers would have signed Dvorak to just a two-year extension, would everyone be so bent out of shape? Well, the Cacophonous Collective, maybe. But rational fans - even some who are sometimes skeptical, would have been fine with it. 

You have Dvorak as part of your team for two more guaranteed seasons after this one. 

It's going to take at least that long for one of the center prospects to be an every day guy in the NHL anyway. Whether that's Jett Luchanko, Jack Nesbitt, Jack Berglund, or someone else. So, while you are waiting for them to make that jump, having Dvorak as a reliable option is a positive. 

“I’ve loved my time being here.”

Forward Christian Dvorak met with the media after signing a five-year contract extension with the Orange & Black. #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/18FNmfa6qr

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) January 6, 2026

"I believed that I had more to my game offensively and that's kind of why I took the one-year deal this summer - to kind of bet on myself," Dvorak said. "I thought I had a good opportunity here. Playing with the linemates I've gotten to play with this year (Zegras and Travis Konecny), it's been a lot of fun. They're easy players to play with and I've got to thank them, too. They've been great for me and have helped me a ton."

Dvorak is a workout warrior. He stays in tip-top shape, so while health can never be predicted, the expectation is his body will hold up into his 30s, which means one of his best abilities should be availability. 

But Tocchet feels there is value to him down the road, even if he is less than the 50-point player he is on pace to be this season playing on the Flyers best scoring line.

"He's got a really good hockey I.Q.," Tocchet said. "I think when you have a good hockey I.Q. you can play late into your 30s. You really can. You might lose a few things later in your 30s, but I think hockey I.Q. is huge. Angling. He's a good faceoff guy. Things like that. Things you can still be really good at when you get older."

Christian Dvorak, extended 5x$5.15M by PHI, is a utility centre who's been fairly useful as a net-crasher and slot shot generator for PHI, although he hasn't finished as many as he ought to have. Doesn't generally spend much time with the puck. Decent wheels. Was poor fit in MTL. pic.twitter.com/lV9pIEQGAD

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) January 6, 2026

The Flyers still recognize the need for a top line center. Signing Dvorak, who is playing that role for them now, does not mean they are turning a blind eye to their most glaring need. 

That's still going to be their top priority - to find a way to acquire one of those, which is always tricky, but not impossible. 

Dvorak has the versatility to also move to the wing, if need be. Much like Noah Cates. Both can be a jack-of-all-trades for the Flyers in the future, even if they're holding down center positions currently. 

So, no one is being blocked because the Flyers have a log jam of centers with term on their contracts in Dvorak, Cates and Sean Couturier. 

Dvorak is simply reliable piece of the puzzle. He's not a keystone, nor does he need to be. 

"Just because he signed this deal ... and he's playing up with Trevor, he's still got to be Christian Dvorak," Tocchet said. "He's got his identity. Sometimes players get a little bit... (they) try to play more offensively - and tries things (they) really shouldn't try because then (they'll) lose (their) identity. 

"That's one thing he's really good at - knowing his identity. and being a really good two-way forward that can make plays, that can defend the puck and be a penalty killer and play a little bit of power play. If he can stay in that identity, he's a really good hockey player for you."

And that's all this signing is. It shouldn't be viewed as anything more than just keeping a reliable, likable player around for a few years who even though he won't make you infinitely better going forward, also won't hurt your team or set it back.