The Montreal Canadiens overcame a near-catastrophic first period on Thursday night, erasing a 2-0 deficit against the Minnesota Wild to eventually force overtime. Though they would give up a last-second goal once in the extra frame, their ability to get there in the first place made for an entertaining game. They turned the game around impressively after the first 20 minutes, and as disappointing as the ending was, how they got there can’t be forgotten.
And a huge part of them getting there was David Savard, who has been playing some of the best hockey we’ve seen from him in a Canadiens uniform since he made his return from injury.
Savard hasn’t been the subject of any trade talks to date, at least as far as we know. But a 33-year-old defenseman on a rebuilding team should be a priority piece to move, and his return has been quite the eye opener. With three points, and well over 20 minutes of ice time in each of his five games since getting back to action, he’s been a key player for the Habs. While everyone has been focusing on the goaltenders in Montreal as trade chips, few are talking about how quickly Savard has made himself a valuable piece.
Coming back from a long absence is no easy task, even less so when thrust immediately into a situation where you’re typically at or near the team lead for ice time. Savard has fared admirably, not only playing strong in his own zone, but chipping in those aforementioned points that draw more attention to him. If he isn’t on trade bait lists now, it won’t be long before this level of play gets him there.
He has championship experience, size, penalty killing, and is flashing some offensive abilities to round out a skillset that generally gets NHL general managers out of bed. If he can stay healthy, and keep his play at this level moving forward, there is legitimate reason to believe he could earn them a solid return, perhaps even in the environs of that received for Ben Chiarot not long ago.
There may be temptation to keep him around, but if this return does pique some interest around the league, Kent Hughes has to take advantage of it as he has before.
Click the play button below to listen to your full Bottom Six Minutes, also available wherever you get your podcasts. Quick turnaround on this one, as we’ll have another episode tonight after the Habs meet Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks.
