The Montreal Canadiens add to their blueline by signing David Savard to a four-year deal
A reigning Stanley Cup champion is heading back to his home province.
The Montreal Canadiens welcome home a Quebec-native on Wednesday afternoon, signing defenseman, David Savard to a four-year deal worth an average annual value of $3.5 million.
Savard is as pure of a shutdown defender as you can find in the modern NHL. The 30-year-old provides practically no value in the offensive end of the ice, putting up just six points in 54 games last season split between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Tampa Bay Lightning. Scoring is just not what he does. What Savard does excel at, instead, is logging big minutes in defense-first situations, doing so in a key role for the Lightning this past postseason en route to a Stanley Cup.
For the Canadiens, Savard could not come at a more perfect time.
With Shea Weber not expected back next season, and perhaps in any season after that, the team faced a gaping hole in the middle of their top-four that would have been left vacant. Savard fills that hole, at least from a defensive standpoint, and comes in at a reasonable cap hit that doesn't pose much of a risk financially.
With just over $7 million in cap space left to work with, Savard's arrival likely forces the departure of Philip Danault, putting a significant dent in the Canadiens' depth up front.
You win some; you lose some. Such is life in today's NHL.
