How Canadiens’ Savard can boost trade value with on-ice play

MONTREAL — We’d forgive you for not noticing, because what David Savard did in the Canadiens’ 4-0 win over the Hurricanes Tuesday was barely noticeable.

But you couldn’t pay Savard a higher compliment than saying you didn’t notice him in a game in which he played 18:01 against one of the fastest teams in the league.

It was good timing for the 34-year-old to be so invisible to the naked eye, because that type of performance had to be particularly revealing to some of the most trained eyes in the game. 

At least a few of the 12 scouts who were in attendance at the Bell Centre on Tuesday work for teams looking to add a veteran, right-handed defenceman between now and the March 7 trade deadline and what they saw from Savard likely stood out to them.

That reliability is what they’ll need to see more of over Montreal’s next few games to convince their general managers that Savard might be worth as much as a third-round draft pick or a B-prospect in a deal.

Watching Savard earlier this season, we didn’t think there was much of a chance any team would even give up a fifth-round pick for him. And we thought if that were all the Canadiens would get for him, they would be better served holding the player as insulation for their young blue line.

But the need for the Canadiens to do that was lessened when they acquired 28-year-old right-hander Alex Carrier from the Nashville Predators near the end of December. And the need to free up space for a young right-hander like Logan Mailloux to gain some NHL experience has only grown with the Canadiens moving a bit further away from the playoff picture than they were towards the end of January.

The market has also shifted since then, with so few players in Savard’s mould available. 

He might actually be one of one when you consider he’s on an expiring contract worth only $3.5 million.

Nashville’s Luke Schenn is a similar player to Savard. He’s 35, six-foot-two and 225 pounds, and he’s a steady right-hander who plays hard and honest. 

But Schenn is under contract for $2.75 million, and his deal only expires in the summer of 2026.

Philadelphia Flyers blueliner Rasmus Ristolainen is five years younger than Schenn and four years younger than Savard, and he brings a similar dynamic to the one both Schenn and Savard do.

But Ristolainen’s $5.1-million cap hit runs through 2027, and no team appears willing to pay a premium to acquire it.

We don’t think one will pay a premium for Savard, either. The idea that a team would give up a third still feels like a stretch.

But more performances like Tuesday’s could convince teams the six-foot-one, 235-pound Stanley Cup winner might be worth it. If watching Savard blend in so seamlessly for more than 18 minutes against a Cup contender inspired some confidence he could consistently do it for closer to 12 minutes to stabilize a third pairing come playoff time, another few games like that might have them pay up for him.

We don’t think the Saint-Hyacinthe, Que., native wants to leave Montreal, but he doesn’t have any trade protection, and the Canadiens might not be able to turn down that type of return. They may not even be able to look away from a prospect that could help their minor-league affiliate in Laval capture the top spot in the AHL and go on a deep playoff run.

We don’t know that one will be on offer. And if a fourth-rounder is all the Canadiens are looking at, it might not be enticing enough for them to move him.

We can’t see more being on the table if Savard is as noticeable over the remaining games leading up to the trade deadline as he was in ones leading up to the 4 Nations Face-Off break. He was struggling to keep pace then, and it was obvious to anyone watching.

But Savard was quietly very good in the first game out of the break in Ottawa, and he stealthily followed that up with an even better game against Carolina.

It makes his situation one to monitor closely over the next nine days.

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