David Savard has come a long way over the last few years.
From being challenged by the organization to get in shape or risk seeing his time as a Blue Jacket come to an end to now a solid top-four defenseman, it's been a journey for Savard but the end result has been worth it. As he enters the prime of his career, Savard is locked in as one of the Blue Jackets' top defensemen and has proven his ability excel in any type of game.
He's physical, he has some offense, and when coach John Tortorella called his movement "ugly as sin," he meant it as a compliment. It may not always be pretty, but Savard finds a way to get to where he needs to be and do his job.
What did we expect?
Durability, reliability, and a better season than 2015-16.
What did we get?
Well, we got both.
Assistant coach Brad Shaw came over from St. Louis and was charged with finding solutions on the back end. To start, he was given a 19-year-old phenom in Zach Werenski who stepped right in and allowed everyone else to be slotted in more appropriate positions; that meant Savard reunited with Jack Johnson, a pairing that had been a solid one for the Blue Jackets in recent years. It turned out to be an important decision for the Blue Jackets' defense, which was as balanced and dynamic as it's ever been in 2016-17.
Savard and Johnson drew most of the top defensive assignments and they were outstanding; Savard, despite not seeing as much offensive ice time as he had in the last couple of seasons, was a positive Corsi player (51.39% at 5-on-5) and played a key role in the Blue Jackets spending less time defending overall - which obviously enabled them to have the puck more and create more offense.
And though we shouldn't put too much stock into plus/minus, it's hard to ignore Savard's ridiculous +33 rating.
| GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | PPG | PPP | SHG | SHP | GWG | OTG | S | S% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| REGULAR SEASON | 74 | 6 | 17 | 23 | 33 | 44 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 134 | 4.4 |
| PLAYOFFS | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0.0 |
Memorable Moment
Savard recorded the first three-point game of his career on Feb. 25, a 7-0 win for the Blue Jackets over the New York Islanders.
Contract Status
According to CapFriendly.com, Savard is signed for four more seasons (through 2020-21) at an annual cap hit of $4.25 million.
| GRADE | B+ |
