Quoting: Andy_Dick
Agreed Dvorak value is low right now. He will easily return something decent when he's healthy and a year less term. The Habs need Dvorak rn with Monahan injury concerns, Dach moving to the wing and a struggling Jake Evans. Dvorak is only 27, he wins draws and can matchup against other teams top lines in a pinch. Nothing close to what they originally paid with a 1st and 2nd but easily a 2nd plus.
Dvorak isn't good enough at his salary to elevate him out of the group of useful but roster inhibitive players who are struggling to find homes in the current market.
That's not a knock on his ability, but the reality of the current cap landscape.
He's a luxury at a time when teams that are looking for a competitive edge don't have the cap space to afford such a luxury and his usefulness in a role on a developing team can be had for much less.
That could change as soon as the deadline with retention (performance dependent) or for next season, but if Montreal is looking to move him any time soon it will be for little to no value.
You could argue Montreal needs him to support the development of our young forwards, but we also have players looking to crack a center role soon. Our center depth isn't critical right now because this is another development year, and we can also dip into the cheaper alternatives if we were to trade Dvorak.
In short, giving him away without retention would be valuable enough without expecting anything additional in return.