Montreal Canadiens: Could Contenders Injuries Lead To David Savard Trade?

Toronto Maple Leafs

The Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs don't often hook up to make trades but we have seen it happen. Tomas Plekanec was dealt to the Maple Leafs once upon a time and Mikhail Grabovski also got shipped from Montreal to Toronto though it was 15 years ago.

So, we could possibly see it happen again. The Maple Leafs have plenty of firepower up front but struggle to find the right mix on the blue line each year. This season, they spent a lot of money to add John Klingberg as a free agent on a one year contract but it did not work out.

The Swedish defender struggled to begin the season and has since been ruled out for the remainder of the 2023-24 campaign as he will undergo hip surgery. That frees up over $4 million to add at any point this season and the Leafs are reportedly looking for help on defense. Their new general manager Brad Treliving has also said he would like to add a little snarl to the back end.

Rumour has it they are looking at adding Rasmus Ristolainen and if that is the case they would be wise to pivot and trade for Savard. He may not play a top pairing role with Morgan Rielly, but he could form a shutdown duo with Jake McCabe or at the very least a responsible, veteran third pairing with Mark Giordano.

It would be rare to see a trade between the Canadiens and Maple Leafs, but the Habs rival needs an upgrade on the blue line and have the cap space available to bring in Savard. While he has been injured himself, he joined his teammates at practice a few days ago and appears near 100% so he should be back in the lineup in no time.