In defense of Marc Savard

Chances are, you have heard of a Savard rumor or two so far this off season. And chances are, you probably have a pretty strong opinion one way or the other. Savard's name had been linked to a slew of trade rumors, most prominently Thomas Kaberle. While I like the idea of Boston improving our defensive rotation, it would be foolish for Chiarelli to ship out Savard. It is well documented the Bruins struggled mightily on offense last year. Perhaps it comes as no coincidence that Savard played only 41 games last year, the fewest games he has played since his rookie season. As a proven play maker in this league, Savard has been a vital component of the offense since he arrived in Boston, and should have a big impact this year. Here is why I believe the Bruins would be making a huge mistake by shipping out Savard:

1) Here are Savard's stats while in Boston

2006/2007 82 GP 22G 74A (39 on PP) 96Pts
2007/2008 74 GP 15G 63A (27 on PP) 78Pts
2008/2009 82 GP 25G 63A (21 on PP) 88Pts
2009/2010 41 GP 10G 23A (11 on PP) 33Pts

Pretty consistent numbers. What I find most impressive is the amount of assists Savard accumulated while on the PP; nearly half his season total in each year came with the man advantage. Last year, when Savard went down, the PP really struggled to score. While only playing in half of the regular season games last year, Savard still managed to be in the top 7 on the team for goals, assists and points. You have to imagine that if he was healthy the entire year, he very well could have led the team in all three. I don't like the idea of taking any scoring off the roster as it is currently constructed.

2) The notion that Savard is injury prone doesn't hold much weight with me. Prior to last year, he had played in 238 out of 246 possible games. Last year's injuries (caused by the boards and a blindside hit) could have happened to pretty much anyone on the ice. While there are some concerns about the severity of his concussion and the effects moving forward, I don't think we have any evidence thus far to know whether or not it will effect how he plays this season, and it shouldn't play into the decision to trade him.

3) Savard has also taken some hits in the media saying that he isn't a tough player, which is unfair and not exactly true. Savard is listed at a generous 5-10, 195lbs., which isn't exactly the prototypical NHL tough guy. Every NHL team is comprised of different types of players, the snipers, play makers, power forwards etc. Savard is a finesse, play making player who a) doesn't have the size to use the body on other players and b) is much more effective in the open ice when he can create (which is why he is so effective on the power play).

But the notion that Savard isn't tough really bugs me for 2 reasons. First, he took one of the worse shots to the head seen in recent years. The hit was so bad, it prompted the NHL to pass the new rule banning head shots. Many thought this would end Savard's season, and rightfully so. But Savard battled back and gutted it out to make the 2nd round of the playoffs. While he wasn't that effective, you still have to acknowledge how hard it was to come back from a hit like that.

Secondly, this Bruins team has gotten a reputation for being soft at times throughout the past two seasons. While Savard isn't going to be the guy who drops the gloves, he has shown on multiple occasions that he will step in and defend a teammate or that he isn't afraid to mix it up. See the videos linked: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eG6wQRnnT8o&feature=related Vid 1, 2008-2009 vs Dallas, forward to 5:30. Vid 2, 2009-2010, in response to a low hit on Sturm. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2CpKr9I6FMIf only all the Bruins would follow this example (cough cough Ryder, Wheeler)

4)Savard's contract is awesome for the Bruins. He is making slightly over $4million a year through 2016-2017 and the NTC he has expires after the 2013-2014 season. Savard's salary is a steal when you compare him to other Centers around the same age and stat line (Andy McDonald $4.7mil, Brad Richards $7.8mil, Mike Ribiero $5.0mil, Scott Gomez $7.3mil, Daniel Briere $6.5mil, Joe Thorton $7.2mil). Over the past few seasons, his production has been better or at least comparable to all of those players. Savard is a 1st line center signed long term at under market value... to me it makes more sense to dump the salary of Ryder (4mil as well), who is likely to be a 3rd or 4th line wing this season.

Additionally, with Savard, the Bruins have depth and talent through center. I think it will be better to start Seguin on the wing as he is still an unproven NHL player. It sets up well having Savard's NTC expire in 3 seasons, and by that time, hopefully Seguin will have become the dominant NHL center that we are all expecting. At that time, it would make sense to trade Savard, but at this point, he simply brings too much offense and experience to be a salary dump type of player. Like mentioned earlier, there is at least one other player on the current roster who could save the same amount of money while losing a whole lot less.

Let me know what you think.

Go B's