David Savard will be a fairly hot commodity at the trade deadline. I have no idea how much interest he has drawn or will draw from rival general managers but I do know that he has some of the things teams need for a stretch run.
Related: Canadiens: What to Expect From David Savard
Savard did win a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning, so there’s that. Check that off. That’s important. He’s also a right-handed shot, and that’s always in demand. Even if he isn’t a power play guy, it doesn’t matter. Teams are always looking for them.
His 3.5 million dollar salary is enough for most teams to swallow but the Canadiens may have to eat a small percentage depending on the team. If they do that the deal will improve and being an impending UFA makes him a good rental.
Savard is eighth in the league in blocked shots, with 86. Teams want shot blockers in the playoffs when the game slows down.
At 34, he can still log good ice time. His average TOI is 18:45. That’s good. When you are adding a fifth or sixth defenseman, sometimes those guys are even older and play fewer minutes. Savard can do a bit more than that making him valuable.
The downside to Savard is his giveaway/takeaway ratio. He has nine takeaways to 24 giveaways. That will scare a few teams away but ultimately it won’t be enough to keep him on the Canadiens to ride out his contract.
I think the Canadiens can get a conditional 2nd round pick for him. If they can eat 30-40% they can probably trade a sixth and Savard for a conditional second and a fifth. Something like that. Let’s see what happens.
