The Montreal Canadiens were engulfed in trade rumors leading into the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline. Montreal had some veteran players they could trade, as well. Defenseman David Savard and forward Joel Armia made sense as rental players. Forward Jake Evans was a trade candidate until he signed a four-year contract extension before the deadline.
Savard was an interesting candidate on the market. The 34-year-old defenseman is a pending free agent at the end of the season. Despite being in the back end of his career, the veteran played a style of hockey that contending teams would love in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He is willing to block shots and play with an edge in all situations. He is also a right-shot defender, which teams covet.
Rumors around his future in Montreal swirled leading into March 7th. However, a deal never came to pass. The Canadiens did not trade Savard at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline. As a result, the veteran rearguard will finish out the 2024-25 campaign with Montreal.
The Canadiens could very well extend Savard before he reaches NHL Free Agency. But this move is not something the team should pursue. July 1 allows the team and the player a clean break. And for Montreal, bringing back the 34-year-old would not bring a lot in terms of long-term benefits.
Canadiens have young defensemen waiting in the wings
The Canadiens have not made the Stanley Cup Playoffs in a full 82-game season since the 2016-17 campaign. As a result, this club has had some time to rebuild its prospect pipeline. This especially rings true in recent years when they have picked high in the NHL Draft.
Montreal has taken this opportunity to stock some intriguing defensemen in its pipeline. The big name to know is David Reinbacher. The Austrian defender went fifth overall in the 2023 NHL Draft. He had a historic season for a draft-eligible prospect in the Swiss NLA. And his development in the AHL has come along rather nicely to this point.
Reinbacher may not be ready to make the jump to the NHL next season. Thankfully, Montreal has other prospects to keep in mind. Logan Mailloux, Adam Engstrom, and Bogdan Konyushkov all have a chance to be regular NHL players.
The point is that there are players with more long-term potential than Savard waiting for their chance. Mailloux is the closest to being NHL ready, but the others aren’t too far behind. The Canadiens can allow the veteran defenseman to walk this summer. And this opens the door for these younger defenders to make their mark at the next level.
Canadiens are still a few seasons from contention
Montreal has made a lot of strides this season. And there exists a world where this team makes a leap in 2026, making the Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, this team still has a few seasons to go before they are consistently contending for the postseason.
By the time the Canadiens are at that point, Savard will be entering his late-30s. He will want to contend for a Stanley Cup during those seasons. Moreover, his game will begin to decline, especially given his style of play. Montreal cannot give him Stanley Cup contention. And they have players who will be on the ascent during these seasons.
The Canadiens have to think about their long-term future. Savard certainly won’t fall off a cliff overnight. In fact, he may not fall off a cliff entirely. But even if his decline is gradual, Montreal can avoid dealing with his decline by allowing him to walk in NHL Free Agency.
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