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“It’s good to have him round. He’s simply relaxed. He’s one of many older guys right here and he’s undoubtedly a pacesetter,” Jayden Struble says.
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At 6-foot-1 and 238 kilos, barrel-chested David Savard is constructed extra like a world’s strongest-man competitor than a hockey participant.
Together with his massive, bushy beard, he additionally seems like he could possibly be a lumberjack.
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However in his thirteenth NHL season with 742 regular-season video games underneath his belt, Savard stays a really efficient defenceman with the Canadiens — regardless of in all probability being the slowest participant on the ice.
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“It will depend on the way you measure pace,” Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis stated after a current observe when requested about Savard. “His mind pace’s fairly quick.
“You could be very quick, however you could be very quick going within the improper route,” St. Louis added. “You could be too quick typically. Pace management is the whole lot. Savvy can management his pace fairly good.”
Savard scored a objective within the Canadiens’ 4-3 shootout loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins Wednesday night time on the Bell Centre. It was his second sport again within the lineup after lacking 22 video games with a fractured hand. It was solely Savard’s seventh objective in 131 video games since signing with the Canadiens as a free agent earlier than the 2021-22 season after serving to the Tampa Bay Lightning win the Stanley Cup.
When requested if he was disillusioned St. Louis by no means known as his identify throughout Wednesday’s shootout — by which every staff used 12 shooters — Savard smiled and stated: “It’s not my power.”
Savard has a whole lot of different strengths, together with his potential as a penalty-killer and shot-blocker. Final season, regardless of lacking 20 video games due to accidents, Savard completed eighth within the NHL with 176 blocked pictures — a mean of two.84 per sport. Within the seven video games he has performed this season, Savard is averaging 2.86 blocked pictures per sport.
Highway to the Cup
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“He calms issues down,” St. Louis stated after observe Thursday in Brossard. “Savvy is all the time in management. He’s very clever. The puck all the time goes the place it’s alleged to go along with him in the intervening time it’s alleged to go on the pace it’s alleged to go. I believe it helps our group loads to keep up its calm and poise.”
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Rookie defenceman Jayden Struble has solely performed 11 video games with the Canadiens since getting known as up from the AHL’s Laval Rocket, together with two with Savard within the lineup. The 22-year-old Struble has been impressed by Savard each on and off the ice.
“I didn’t actually know him that a lot earlier than,” Struble stated after observe Thursday. “However he’s a loud presence … loud character. Actually humorous man. He’s type of like a dad. He sits subsequent to me proper right here (within the locker room) and he’s all the time cracking a few jokes and retaining it mild. It’s good to have him round. He’s simply relaxed. He’s one of many older guys right here and he’s undoubtedly a pacesetter.
“He’s simply so dependable (on the ice),” Struble added. “He all the time makes that good, arduous play each time. He’s only a well-rounded veteran defenceman.”
That’s why Savard may grow to be a priceless commodity for Canadiens GM Kent Hughes forward of the March 8 NHL commerce deadline. Hughes has to open up some spots on the blue line with so many younger defencemen within the group, together with Struble, Jordan Harris, Arber Xhekaj, Logan Mailloux, David Reinbacher and Lane Hutson.
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Savard has one 12 months remaining on his contract with a US$3.5 million salary-cap hit. When the Lightning acquired Savard forward of the 2021 NHL commerce deadline they solely had to surrender a fourth-round draft decide. Hughes might be hoping to get greater than that after buying a conditional first-round decide as a part of the package deal from the Florida Panthers when he dealt defenceman Ben Chiarot forward of the 2022 NHL commerce deadline.
Savard did his job with the Lightning. He picked up 5 assists in 20 playoff video games, together with a fair plus/minus differential, whereas averaging 14:07 of ice time to earn his first Stanley Cup ring earlier than signing a four-year, US$14-million contract with former Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin.
Savard could possibly be a great match on a playoff staff with some younger defencemen trying so as to add priceless expertise.
“We’ve got good communication on the bench as a D corps, selecting one another up,” Struble stated. “Like, ‘Right here we go! It begins with us. Maintain it easy.’ Stuff like that. (Savard’s) undoubtedly main the cost there.”
Kaiden Guhle, now in his second NHL season, stated Savard has performed a key position in his growth as a defenceman.
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“He’s been enormous,” Guhle stated. “He’s undoubtedly an enormous cause why I’ve had success up to now and hopefully I preserve having it. … He’s actually like a dad.”
St. Louis famous that Savard is a pacesetter each on and off the ice.
“I believe that the younger guys can go to Savvy and Savvy all the time has nice suggestions for them,” the coach stated. “To have him again within the swing of issues and across the guys day-after-day for video games and practices and what you’re attempting to perform as a gaggle, he’s an enormous a part of that. So we’re joyful to have him again.”
scowan@postmedia.com
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