Montreal Canadiens: Could Contenders Injuries Lead To David Savard Trade?
The Montreal Canadiens are supposedly in the trade market as they look to move a goaltender. It makes sense they would want to reduce their number of active goaltenders from three to two, but they have been unable to find a trade partner.
With Sam Montembeault now signed to a three year contract extension, it appears likely that Jake Allen or Cayden Primeau will be on the move. Finding a taker for an unproven Primeau or an expensive Allen appears to be a difficult process for the Canadiens, but a trade of one of them seems inevitable at this point.
It was recently reported the Canadiens may also be looking to move a veteran forward or two in the near future as well. That means general manager Kent Hughes has been busy working the phones. Even though reports are out there about him looking to move a goaltender and a forward, wouldn't a veteran defenseman with a Stanley Cup rin fetch a decent return as well?
David Savard signed a four year contract with the Canadiens in 2021 and is now in the third season of that deal. Just before arriving in Montreal, he helped the Tampa Bay Lightning defeat the Canadiens to win the Stanley Cup. Savard was acquired that spring by the Lightning for first and third round draft picks after putting up six points in 41 games with the Colmbus Blue Jackets.
Obviously acquired for his defensive abilities, Savard remains a strong defensive player who can fit on a team's second or third pairing and top penalty killing unit. He may not fetch a first and third round pick again, but his value is not that much lower than it was three trade deadlines ago.
With a couple of recent injuries around the National Hockey League, there are a couple of teams that could suddenly be in the market for a player like Savard.
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils were supposed to be one of the best teams in the entire NHL this season. After a breakout season a year ago, they appeared poised to be a Stanley Cup contender, especially after they found a way to retain Timo Meier on a long term contract and made a shrewd trade for Tyler Toffoli.
They still sit outside a playoff spot after the quarter mark of the season and will be looking to upgrade their team at some point this season. While the Devils and Canadiens make sensible trade partners in a potential goaltender deal, a recent injury could open up a landing spot for Savard.
Dougie Hamilton has a torn pectoral muscle and is out indefinitely following surgery to repair the issue. While adding Savard would not replace Hamilton in the lineup, no one on the open market is going to step in and take over Hamilton's exact role.
Instead, the Devils are going to have to hope younger players like Luke Hughes can continue to expand their roles and a veteran like Savard could come in and handle some of the dirty work on the penalty kill and defensive situations.
The salary cap is really a non-factor as Hamilton will be placed on long-term injured reserve and the Devils will be allowed to replace that cap hit. We could even see a Savard and Allen trade but that seems like too much money to add to next year's cap so it would be unlikely to happen.
Bringing in Savard would allow Simon Nemec to continue developing in the AHL. The 19 year old has played well since being called up but it was not their plan to have him in the NHL at this time so adding a veteran would allow them to get back to their original plan for the second overall draft choice.
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.