One Montreal Canadiens defenceman will be calling it a career at the of the seasons. News emerged that veteran blueliner David Savard will retire at the end of Habs’ current Stanley Cup Playoff run. The news emerged late Friday morning.
David Savard says this will be his final NHL season. Happy to be able to get a playoff appearance in Montreal before taking his retirement.
— Arpon Basu (@arponbasu.bsky.social) 2025-04-18T15:41:58.284Z
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Montreal Canadiens Defenceman David Savard to Retire at End of Season
Savard has played for the Columbus Blue Jackets , Tampa Bay Lightning and Canadiens over his 14-year NHL career. The 34-year-old proved a goal and 14 assists for 15 points in 75 games this season. He had a Corsi for of 35.0 and a relative Corsi of -16.0.
The St. Hyacinthe, Quebec native has 54 goals and 188 assists for 242 points in 870 career games. Columbus originally drafted Savard in the fourth round, 94th overall of the 2009 NHL Draft. His reliable play on the defensive end got him drafted, but he added some offensive elements to his game.
Savard has represented his native Canada on the international level. He was part of the gold-medal winning squad at the 2015 IIHF World Championships. He collected four assists in 10 games during that tournament.
What It Means
Many thought that Savard was going to be on a different team after the trade deadline. However, the Canadiens decided to hang onto him and he was rewarded with one last post-season appearance before calling it a career.
He was a veteran force on the roster that has plenty of young talent in the pipeline. Some thought a Savard trade would free up a space for one of those young defenders. However, general manager Kent Hughes kept the veteran blueliner around.
Many thought Montreal would have traded players like Savard, Joel Armia , Christian Dvorak and others. However, Hughes and Jeff Gorton didn’t spin these veterans into assets. These veteran players helped get the rest of the younger members of the roster through the stress of a post-season push.
Savard and the rest of the Canadiens fan base hope that his career can last for a bit longer with an extended playoff run.
Main photo by: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
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