Montreal Canadiens defenceman David Savard found himself the subject of countless trade rumours last season.
While moving the veteran blueliner to a contender seemed logical, Habs GM Kent Hughes ultimately couldn’t find the right deal. As a result, the 34-year-old remains a steady presence on Montreal’s young defensive core — for now.
But how much longer will Savard’s tenure with his childhood team last?
According to a new RG.org report from Canadiens journalist Marco D’Amico, Savard, who has one year remaining on his contract, is already garnering interest from around the league and could possibly fetch a high draft pick.
My latest @TheHockeyNews article is about David Savard’s potential value on the trade market: https://t.co/iFaXpPxLAg #CH #Canadiens #Habs #THN
— Karine Hains (@KarineHains) November 19, 2024
“He’s a Cup-winning, top 4, right-shot defenceman,” an anonymous source close to a Western Conference team told D’Amico. “I don’t know if we’d necessarily pay a first-round pick for him, but another team with real Cup aspirations surely could without anyone raising an eyebrow.”
As of now, all signs point to this being Savard’s final year with the Habs
“From what I’m hearing and seeing, Savard will likely be moved,” they added.
Meanwhile, another unnamed individual confirmed that their team was looking to acquire the Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec native, who had admitted his desire to stay with the Canadiens ahead of the 2024 trade deadline.
“We took a good look at Savard last year but couldn’t pull the trigger,” said D’Amico’s second source out of the Eastern Conference.
While it’s still early in the calendar for blockbuster trades, it’s worth noting that this season’s trade deadline (March 7) could be different from years past, with the NHL’s first Four Nations Face-Off taking place in lieu of the All-Star Game.
Drafted 94th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets, Savard joined the Canadiens as a free agent in the 2021 offseason. The defensive-minded blueliner has 178 points over 813 NHL games.