The argument has been made that a team needs savvy veterans on the roster to mentor the younger players and to help keep the team on an even keel. When you look at the Montreal Canadiens, you may ask yourself if that’s really the case or if the veteran mentors are simply the wrong ones.
David Savard has been on a Stanley Cup winning team and he know what it takes to win. He leads by example on the ice, always willing to sacrifice himself to make a play, and by all accounts he is well respected in the dressing room. It’s like having an extra coach. But if you are brutally honest, the results haven’t been there.
The play of the young defence remains sporadic and the team ranks third last in the league in goals against. We have seen approximately zero progression in defensive efficiency since Savard joined the team four years ago when they finished dead last in goals against.
While Savard may be doing his job as a player relatively well, it appears that he is less effective in his role as a mentor.
At the moment the Canadiens are the fourth worst team in the league. Where would they be without Savard? Is he helping Xhekaj, Struble and others improve their play? It seems not. If he is trying to deliver a message, his young teammates simply aren’t getting it. And when a team is already 29th in the league standings does dropping another spot or two really make a difference to the players’ psyche?
Savard can contribute to an NHL team in the right role but that role seems like it should be as a third pairing defenceman on a contender rather than a mentor and one of the anchors on a rebuilding team.
General manager Kent Hughes has to be searching for answers and while trading Savard won’t help the team in the short term, it has the potential to help it in the long term. The questions are, would it further damage the psyche of an already fragile team and who would fill his spot on RD.
Whatever path Hughes chooses to take, something has to be done to wake this team up from its slumber.
