Savard’s value: “The idea of a team giving up a 3rd round pick seems exaggerated”

Dose
Crédit:

We don’t know if Kent Hughes will trade David Savard.

The Canadiens’ GM won’t give him away for free… But there’s also a world where he keeps his veteran if he doesn’t get the offer he wants to let him go.

And with just a few days left until the trade deadline, Eric Engels is giving an indication of the value of the main person involved.

In a recent article (Sportsnet), Engels recalls that Savard had two big games in the last few days against the Senators and Hurricanes.

And he’s right because the Quebecer did what he does best: he was solid in his zone without making too much noise and blocked four shots.

That’s what we ask of him.

But even if Savard plays better and the market for right-handed defensemen seems thin, Engels argues that the defender’s value is not super high right now.

This sentence is particularly revealing:

The idea of seeing a club give up a third-round pick seems exaggerated. But a few more performances like the one on Tuesday could convince teams that the six-foot-one, 235-pound Stanley Cup winner might be worth it. – Eric Engels

Uh…

As long as we’re getting a fourth-round pick for David Savard… I’d rather keep him in town, even with the risk of seeing him leave for free this summer.

Because in Montreal, Savard does more than just help the Canadiens: he plays a role in the development of young defensemen because he has the experience to do so.

He’s the one who helped Arber Xhekaj navigate his first seasons in the NHL and he plays that role with other (younger) players too.

Losing a guy like him for a fourth-round pick isn’t worth it.

Savard has more value in Montreal for the reasons we know, and if he’s able to help until the end of the season in his role, we should take advantage of it.

It would be useless to give a player like him away at such a low price.

In passing

– Well done.

– Sad news.

– Ouch!

– It takes willpower.