Editor In Leaf
Fansided

Top 8 Defensemen with Term the Toronto Maple Leafs Could Trade For

By Mike Jack

DALLAS, TX - JUNE 23: (l-r) Kyle Dubas and Brendan Shanahan of the Toronto Maple Leafs handle the draft table during the 2018 NHL Draft at American Airlines Center on June 23, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX - JUNE 23: (l-r) Kyle Dubas and Brendan Shanahan of the Toronto Maple Leafs handle the draft table during the 2018 NHL Draft at American Airlines Center on June 23, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 9
Next
Toronto Maple Leafs
David Savard #58 of the Tampa Bay Lightning (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

David Savard from the Montreal Canadiens to the Toronto Maple Leafs

Age: 31
Height: 6’2
Weight: 234 lbs
Shoots: Right
Cap Hit: $3,500,000 until 2025

David Savard became a Stanley Cup Champion after he joined the Tampa Bay Lightning at last season’s NHL Trade Deadline.  He has a total of 57 games of playoff experience with Tampa Bay and the Columbus Blue Jackets which is more than any Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman who isn’t Jake Muzzin.

Savard is above average size.  He’s not huge, but he’s among the top 25 defensemen in the league for hits and blocked shots.  He does have a lot of giveaways this season as the Montreal Canadiens lead the league in giveaways, but he’s had better numbers with better teams in the past.

He plays top four minutes and shoots right, so he would fit in nicely beside Jake Muzzin on a shutdown pair.  He still has three years left on his new contract that takes him to age 34, but $3.5 million per season seems reasonable even if his performance slips a bit with age.

Savard did just sign his contract with Montreal, and he is a Quebec native that the team may want to keep.  On the other hand though, the Canadiens are going through a lot of changes which may include a hard rebuild.

David Savard has also recently been placed on the IR with an ankle injury and isn’t expected to return until shortly after the NHL Trade Deadline.  He hasn’t had a career full of injuries or anything, so I’m sure he’ll bounce back, but it may be enough to throw a wrench in the cogs of a deal getting done between Toronto and Montreal.

Home/Analysis