Insider Chris Johnson Links Montreal Canadiens Defenseman David Savard to Canadian Rival
The insider Chris Johnston linked the Montreal Canadiens defenseman David Savard to a Canadian rival team.
The looming unrestricted free agent David Savard served the Habs well since joining the team in the 2021-22 season.
Not only is he playing a valuable role on the ice, serving as a mentor to the younger players, but he's one of the best leaders the Canadiens had since Shea Weber.
His energy and dedication to the sport make him one of the best defensive defensemen in the League.
Savard, 34, took part in 827 games in the NHL for the Blue Jackets, Lightning, and Canadiens in his career. He notably won a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lighting in 2021.
He's been involved in plenty of trade rumors in the past years, as teams looking for a deep playoff run could all use a player like him, especially with his cap-friendly $3,500,000 AAV salary.
In a paper for The Athletic, Chris Johnston linked the defenseman to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Once again this season, the Leafs will be looking to end their playoff drought. With a guy like Savard at their blue line, it'll certainly be easier to reach that goal.
The team already added a lot of depth at their blue line last summer, but Savard's talent and experience would be a great asset to have in Toronto.
In Johnston's words:
Summer signing Jani Hakanpää has only been healthy enough to play two NHL games this season because of lingering knee issues, and as good of a story as Conor Timmins' re-emergence has been, he may not be ideally suited for what the team wants to get out of its third pairing come playoff time.
As an added bonus, Savard has playoff pedigree and would give Toronto a level of depth at the position usually needed to go on a long run. He might even slide alongside Morgan Rielly and give them better balance from top to bottom."
With the Habs acquiring Alexandre Carrier, it seems general manager Kent Hughes made sure to have someone to fall back on in case he gets an offer he can't refuse for Savard.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 26 | 237 ANSWERS Insider Chris Johnson Links Montreal Canadiens Defenseman David Savard to Canadian Rival Do you think the Montreal Canadiens would make a mistake by trading David Savard this season? | ||
| Yes | 120 | 50.6 % |
| No | 117 | 49.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
