Two sources speak out on the David Savard case: his stay with the Montreal Canadiens is coming to an end

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Jim Sullivan
November 26, 2024 (6:13 PM)

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Although the Montreal Canadiens have won three of their last five games, the chances of seeing Martin St-Louis' men qualify for the playoffs are rather slim.

The Habs has shown that they can compete with the good teams in the Bettman circuit, as was notably the case against the Oilers last week, but I still have some doubts about the possibility of seeing the team carve out a spot for the playoffs.

In my opinion, the Habs general manager, Kent Hughes, is likely to be a seller once again at the trade deadline, especially since the organization has several veterans at the end of their contracts who are no longer part of the long-term plans.

Moreover, one player in particular is likely to attract the attention of several teams across the NHL: Quebec defenseman David Savard.

That being said, in a recent discussion with two anonymous sources from two NHL organizations, Marco D'Amico gathered some very pertinent information regarding what should happen with the Habs' No. 58.

First off, both people interviewed expect David Savard to be traded, especially since the 34-year-old veteran could be the most attractive right-shot defenseman on the trade market this year.

"Between Cody Ceci and David Savard, they're probably going to be the two rental players you're going to hear the most about for right-shot defensemen between now and the trade deadline. This isn't the best year for rental players, but Mike Grier and Kent Hughes are going to work the market to get what they need." - Anonymous Source

Also, while one of the two sources interviewed admitted they probably wouldn't pay a first-round pick for David Savard, they wouldn't be surprised if a rival was willing to sacrifice a first-round pick to shore up their defense before the playoffs.

"He's a Cup-winning defenseman who plays in a top-four team and shoots right-handed. I don't know if we'd necessarily pay a first-round pick for him, but another team with real Cup aspirations could probably do it without anyone batting an eyelid. From what I hear and see, David Savard will probably be traded." - Anonymous Source

Now that's interesting!

Everything suggests that Kent Hughes could get his hands on a tempting return for his defenseman, but it remains to be seen if he will pull the trigger.

Unless the defenseman from Saint-Hyacinthe signs a contract extension with the Canadiens during the season, we should expect David Savard to leave the organization in the coming months.

Would you trade David Savard for a first-round pick?

Selected 94th overall in the 2009 draft, the 6-foot-1, 235-pound defenseman has been a great asset to the Bleu-Blanc-Rouge over the last three seasons, racking up 12 goals and 53 assists (65 points) in 203 games.