Montreal Canadiens: The Forgotten GM – The Andre Savard Era

Andre Savard is an afterthought when it comes to general managers in the history of the Montreal Canadiens.  He was promoted from his role as the club’s Director of Player Personnel and stepped into the spotlight when he took over the GM duties from the often maligned Rejean Houle, who was fired in November 2000 after five tumultuous years.

While Savard’s tenure was mostly uneventful, it was an important bridge to the forthcoming Bob Gainey era.  Savard did a good job of stabilizing an organization in turmoil after a series of reckless trades and missed draft picks by his predecessor put the once storied franchise firmly into its darkest days.

I wanted this article to be named “The Best of the Andre Savard Era” or “The Worst of the Andre Savard Era” to be in line with the rest of the series I’ve written recently but to be honest, I couldn’t identify much that he had done of significance, especially on the negative side.

There were a few positive contributions however, including at the draft table.  After years of botched first round picks under Houle, the Canadiens made a few quality selections in Savard’s two years in charge.

Mike Komisarek, the seventh overall pick in 2001, was a top pair defenseman in Montreal for multiple seasons before NHL rule changes against clutching and grabbing put the kibosh on his effectiveness.  He still logged 551 games over the course of his career.

Chris Higgins, the 12th overall pick in 2002, had three 20-goal seasons for the Canadiens before he was traded by Gainey in the Scott Gomez deal.  Higgins would go on to play over 700 games in the National Hockey League.

The best pick during Savard’s time in the GM chair came when the Canadiens were able to nab Tomas Plekanec in the third round in 2001.  The Czech native would become a fixture in bleu-blanc-rouge for over a decade, scoring 20 goals or more seven times while often being cast as the club’s first line center.

On the trade front there wasn’t a ton of consequential moves made by Savard but there is one that stands out.  He extracted good value from a diminished asset in a deal with Washington at the trade deadline in 2001.  Correcting another mistake made by the previous regime, Savard was able to exchange Trevor Linden, Dainius Zubrus and a second rounder with the Capitals for Richard Zednik, Jan Bulis and a first rounder.

Linden had been a complete bust in Montreal after being acquired by Houle for the 10th overall pick in 1999.  He was visibly washed up as an impact player and to get a good young asset like Zednik in return while also upgrading his draft capital was a tidy bit of work by Savard.  Zednik would be very productive during his time with the Habs, enjoying a 30 goal campaign and two 20 goal campaigns or over four seasons with the team.

Savard also brought in some decent low cost veterans via unrestricted free agency in 2001 with the additions of Yanic Perreault and Doug Gilmour.  They would both contribute to the most memorable portion of Savard’s reign, the 2002 playoffs.

The Habs returned to the post season in ‘02 after a three year absence on the back of Hart Trophy winning goaltender Jose Theodore.  With Theodore standing on his head and the team buoyed by the return of captain Saku Koivu from a year long battle with cancer, the Canadiens upset the Boston Bruins in round one.

Predictably though the Canadiens regressed to miss the playoffs again the following season and Savard would be replaced by Bob Gainey in May 2003.  Almost as quietly as he arrived, Savard slipped back into the shadows remaining with the club as Gainey’s assistant.

Due to his lack of signature or splashy moves, it may not have been a memorable run as GM but it was an impactful one.  Make no mistake, Savard’s ability to calm the waters by executing sound hockey decisions changed the Canadiens downward trajectory and laid the groundwork for brighter days ahead.

Want your voice heard? Join the A Winning Habit team!

Write for us!