As is always the case this time of year, speculation is rife about which players will be traded between now and the March 8 trade deadline. A player who will surely generate interest, but who will be very difficult to get out of Montreal, is David Savard.
Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes has previously mentioned that he has no plans to trade him and nothing has changed since he made that statement on February 2.
In reality, a team will have to make him an offer that he cannot refuse for him to agree to part with his defender who blocks the most shots (8.6) per 60 minutes. This means that the chances of him leaving the Canadiens are slim at present.
LIKE A CAPTAIN
There are players on a team who will never be star players, but who have a huge impact on their training. David Savard falls into this category. His real value cannot just be quantified by what he is able to accomplish on the ice, but also in the Canadiens locker room.
Over the past few days, I’ve asked a few of his teammates to tell me about the impact he has on this organization.
“You want to talk to me about David Savard,” Cole Caufield says to me in the Canadiens locker room. I have a lot of time to talk about him, adds the team’s second leading scorer. It’s so easy to love David. If you need help or have a question, he’s sure to have the answer, no matter the context. He really is a unifier, but he always does it in a good mood. That’s without counting the energy he brings every day, even though he has three children at home. »
CONCERNED ABOUT THOSE SURROUNDINGS
Rafaël Harvey-Pinard also talks about what David Savard does to quickly integrate players who join the team.
“When Joshua Roy or Brandon Gignac joined us, he made sure to organize a dinner to quickly integrate them into the team. He does this with all the players who arrive and that’s without counting the trainers and equipment managers whom he invites to dinner at least once a season. He is truly a natural leader who proves that you don’t need to have a C on your sweater to demonstrate leadership and he understood that a long time ago. »
A MENTOR FOR DEFENDERS
Arber Xhekaj speaks of David Savard with great admiration. The 33-year-old veteran has an approach that puts his teammates at ease, and when things aren’t going well on the ice, the players can always count on him.
“Uncle Dave is a role model for all of us,” says Arber Xhekaj. He’s been through so much in this league and played for several coaches, including John Tortorella. His level of knowledge is very high and when he gives us advice, he never does it in an angry manner, on the contrary, it is always in a very friendly tone. I like him a lot and I would like to be like him one day and help the kids understand how things work in this league. Everything seems easy for him and it’s nice to see him going. »
What the players say about David Savard, the leaders of the Canadiens know very well.
When you have a young team, it’s impossible to be able to navigate the ups and downs of a season without a veteran like him. This is why his value is great on the transaction market because teams need players of this quality.
Talk to the Lightning who traded for his services and won the Stanley Cup in 2021.