The 2024-25 season was David Savard’s swan song, and at 34 years old, hanging up his skates was the right decision for the Montreal Canadiens’ veteran. Not that he had a bad season, but the years finally seemed to catch up with him.

Not that he was ever the speediest defender on the ice, but he had lost a step compared with the 2023-24 season. Still, there were parts of the games that he could excel at, like shot blocking, for instance. With 180 blocks in 75 games, he led all Canadiens skaters, averaging 2.4 blocks per game.

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Of course, he was also still excellent in his leadership and mentoring role. Over the last four seasons, he has helped the Canadiens’ blueliners grow by leaps and bounds. Interestingly, this was also the season in which he played the most games; his last three campaigns included 62, 62, and 60 games.

In the hits department, he went for 69 in 2023-24, to 56 this year, yet more evidence that he had slowed down. While he was a picture of stability in the previous years, helping his defensive partner elevate their game, it wasn’t the case so much this season. In the 2023-24 campaign, he put up 24 points, but this year, his production fell to just 15 points. However, that was to be expected since his average ice-time went from playing 20:14 to just 16:35.

Still, considering the leadership he brought to the table, which was much needed in a season in which the Habs suffered several one-sided defeats, he was one of the steadying voices that helped the young Canadiens get through these trying times. For all of these reasons, I think he deserves a C+ for his performance.

Now that he has hung up his skates, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him still around in some capacity, just like Paul Byron did when he retired. The grizzled vet has plenty of experience and knowledge to pass on, and he has the respect of each and every one of his former teammates.

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