There’s probably one reason the Montreal Canadiens should trade David Savard. The market isn’t it. In fact, the market on right-handed shutdown defensemen, which has to a degree been set following the recent Chris Tanev trade, is probably a reason not to, when all is said and done.
For example, when the Calgary Flames also traded centre Elias Lindholm earlier this season, the Canadiens had a similar vested interest. They soon dealt fellow-centre Sean Monahan as arguably the second-best pivot available this trade deadline to secure a first-round pick.
Things are different this time.
Flames Set Trade Market Price
Obviously, the Flames far from received a critically acclaimed return for Tanev from the Dallas Stars/New Jersey Devils. They got a 2024 second-round pick, a conditional 2026 third-round pick (which only becomes a thing if the Stars reach the Stanley Cup Final) and second-tier-prospect Artem Grushnikov in exchange.
Can Grushnikov exceed expectations and become something more than the third-pairing defenseman he’s projected to develop into, per CapFriendly? Anything’s possible. And the second-round pick could also transform into a legitimate star at the NHL level. However, based on numerous studies, the chances of that pick developing into an above-replacement-level player are fairly low. So, assuming Flames GM Craig Conroy has even a basic foundation of knowledge regarding draft-pick quality, he was satisfied trading Tanev for a depth defenseman (as far as he knows now) and a lottery ticket.
That’s not exactly faith-instilling in terms of what Savard may fetch, especially when the underlying numbers (care of Natural Stat Trick) say he’s one of the worst Canadiens defensemen (if not the worst) in terms of possession. Granted, he’s been cast in that role of a stay-at-home rearguard, probably the only pure defensive defenseman on a bad defensive team right now.
As a result the Canadiens have simply placed Savard in situations that aren’t conducive to padded stats. However, Tanev was similarly leading his team in shorthanded time on ice per game too, filling a similar role. And, head to head, at least at even strength, things just don’t look good for Savard. Put simply, objectively speaking, he’s worse than Tanev.
About the only category in which Savard has an edge is goals…
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