After his dismissal following the struggles of the Toronto power play, Marc Savard has signaled a new chapter by scrubbing his Maple Leafs ties from social media.
Marc Savard has returned to social media. But no, it wasn't to dish about his tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The now-former assistant coach updated his X profile twice within a single hour. He twice replaced the previous avatar, which featured a Leafs logo against a city skyline, with two new images. The first update showed Savard in action during his playing days with the Boston Bruins, while the second featured him in a Team Canada shirt, likely a nod to the ongoing World Junior Championship taking place in Minnesota.
When he was hired by the Leafs, Savard stayed away from social media, outside of the occasional reposting and a post about the 4 Nations Face-Off back in February.
Savard was initially hired by the Maple Leafs in June 2024 to serve as an assistant coach under Craig Berube. However, he was dismissed from his duties on Dec. 22 after the team's power play struggled significantly, plummeting to last place in the NHL during his tenure. To address these issues, Toronto promoted Steve Sullivan from the AHL’s Toronto Marlies to replace him.
The early results of the coaching change have been promising. Under the temporary guidance of assistant coach Derek Lalonde, Sullivan's Leafs power play converted on three of five opportunities over the last two games. While it is too early to determine if Savard’s dismissal will lead to long-term success for the man-advantage units, it is evident that the organization was dissatisfied with the status quo.
Before stepping behind the bench, Savard was a fixture in the sports world as an analyst for Sportsnet. His transition to coaching followed a distinguished NHL playing career where he recorded 207 goals and 499 assists in 807 games. Although his time on the ice was cut short due to concussions he suffered in games, Savard has remained successful in his post-playing career, whether coaching in the NHL and Junior leagues or working in the media. As for Savard's next chapter, the hockey world will be watching closely to see where he lands next.
Of course, who can ever forget the 'Savvy Meter' during the playoffs?