With Chris Tanev off the trade board, the stock of Montreal Canadiens defenceman David Savard has undoubtedly risen over the past few weeks.
The thing is, Savard has clearly stated that he doesn’t want to leave Montreal. The Canadiens, who find themselves near the bottom of the NHL standings, are not necessarily eager to trade the 33-year-old either.
With that said, a deal involving the veteran blueliner could still occur.
According to a new report from Pierre Lebrun of The Athletic, the Canadiens are looking for a “certain bar to be met” by teams making offers on Savard.
“The Habs aren’t committed to trading him,” Lebrun wrote. “Just to be clear, that doesn’t mean they won’t. Based on conversations I’ve had with other front-office sources around the league, the Canadiens would need a certain bar to be met in trade offers to move him.”
The NHL insider added that there are talks of moving the St-Hyacinthe, Quebec, native within Montreal’s front office, speculating what the Habs could get in return for the player.
“There’s clearly a conversation happening within that Habs front office, though, about Savard’s value, both in terms of staying put and what it would take to move him. It’s a healthy debate,” he wrote. “I think it would take a first-round pick, a young player with value equivalent to a first-round pick or multiple picks with combined value equivalent to a first.”
It’s worth noting that Savard still has one more season remaining on a deal that has him at an affordable $3.5 million cap hit. That means Montreal could wait another year to trade him without risking losing his services for nothing via free agency.
Playing the waiting game comes with risks, though, especially when his value is high.
A recent report from David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reveals that at least four teams are interested in acquiring him before the deadline
“The Tampa Bay Lightning, Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers, and Toronto Maple Leafs are among the teams believed to have interest in Savard,” Pagnotta wrote.
While Savard is an excellent shutdown player, providing mentorship to the Canadiens’ young defensive core, GM Kent Hughes may have trouble hanging up the phone at a certain point.
Follow Channels and Categories