David Savard will end his NHL career wearing a Canadiens sweater in the playoffs

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BROSSARD, Quebec – Kaiden Guhle and Lane Hutson are two of the most important young players in the Montreal Canadiens organization.

Otherwise, they have very little in common. Guhle is a big, physical menace of a defenceman. Hutson is a small, darty, offensively creative and deceptive defenceman. As each prepares to play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time, they form a yin and yang, their differences making for a strong, complementary pairing, and a vital one for the Canadiens.

But they do have one thing in common. Guhle and Hutson made their NHL debut with David Savard as a defence partner.

It is something Savard has provided the Canadiens as they’ve navigated this rebuild, one that began just after he signed a four-year contract with them after facing the Canadiens in the 2021 Stanley Cup Final with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He couldn’t have imagined he was entering a rebuild, and within four months of his first game in a Canadiens uniform, the general manager who signed him and the coach were gone.

In came Jeff Gorton, Kent Hughes and coach Martin St. Louis, and the one thing St. Louis has consistently done since he arrived was pair Savard with young defencemen entering the NHL, whether that was Jordan Harris, Jayden Struble, Guhle or Hutson.

“Because he’s actually an extension of the coaching. He does a lot of coaching,” St. Louis explained after practice Friday. “He’s got a calming presence. So for any young player that comes in who might be a little stressed out about playing in the NHL, I think Savvy was a very good sounding board. He can kind of hold their hand going through what they’re going through a little bit without giving them all the answers and overcoaching it. He’s a guy we felt very comfortable with when they got paired with him. He can do so much for the player, and you saw that.”

And now, that security blanket is calling it a career.

David Savard has had a major impact on young Canadiens like Kaiden Guhle and Lane Hutson. (Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images)

Savard said after practice that this will be his final NHL season with his contract expiring in July and a young family he wants to raise in his native Quebec, one of the primary reasons he signed with Montreal.

The other reason was to play playoff games at the Bell Centre, and now, just before the end, he gets that chance. The Canadiens clinched their playoff spot in their final game of the regular season Wednesday.

“It’s my last season, so I’m very happy we were able to make the playoffs and experience this in Montreal and finish at home,” Savard said. “It’s special to me.”

Savard has been special to his Canadiens teammates for years.

“We wanted to make sure that last (regular-season) game wasn’t his last one,” Canadiens centre Jake Evans said. “He’s definitely brought us together in many ways and makes us a better team. … I think his biggest strength is bringing the team together, always looking out for a guy. He’s kind of like the dad on this team, especially with that D corps. He’s always looking to help.

“Just such a great teammate that you want to go to battle for.”

When you watch Guhle and Hutson play in this series, you should know the impact Savard’s had on both and what he’s done to help their transition into the NHL.

“He’s just so stable and so predictable. You know where he’s going to be, you know what he’s going to do with the puck,” Guhle said. “He’s loud. He takes the blame for everything, even though it’s not his fault. He’ll say it’s his fault. I know for a young D-man coming into the league, I know for me, (stuff) happens, and he’s the first guy to tell you it’s okay, or the first guy to tell you I could have done this, and that wouldn’t have happened.

“He’s just so good for any young kid coming into the league. He’s unbelievable.”

Hutson had a very similar experience in what might have been the worst game the Canadiens played this season, a 9-2 loss on home ice to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Dec. 12.

“I could have sworn three or four of them were my fault,” Hutson said. “I said, ‘Savvy, that’s my bad, I’ve got to have a stick there.’ And he’s like, ‘No, it’s on me, I’ve got to help you and support you.’ And I’m like, ‘Dave, it’s okay. I’m fine with the blame. I’ll take the blame.’

“He’s always a guy that wants to help anyone. It could be a veteran he’s playing with. If he says he messed up, Dave will be like, ‘That’s on me, I’ve got to be better.’ It’s pretty special what he does.”

Savard will not only provide moral support or inspiration in the series. Even though he only said so publicly for the first time Friday, he has known for months this was his final season, and his teammates did as well. As the season went on, Savard’s role at five-on-five has diminished, but he is still an incredibly important penalty-killer for this team and someone who plays late in games to protect leads.

His side of the Canadiens’ penalty kill just happens to be the right side, or when looked at from the other side, in front of the left circle, Alex Ovechkin’s office. Despite those limited minutes, Savard finished eighth in the league in blocked shots this season, and he will be called upon to do that a ton in this series against the Capitals.

“It’s not like he’s the fastest guy in the world, but he’s always in the right spot. He’s always got a stick in the lane or he’s in the way. He blocks shots,” Guhle said. “It’s nice having Savvy back there blocking shots, doing what he can do.”

Savard has played 870 regular-season NHL games for the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Lightning and the Canadiens, plus another 57 in the playoffs. He won the Stanley Cup with the Lightning, so his name’s on there. He’s done a lot in this league through grit and toughness and will and desire, never the most talented player, but compensating for that with hard work and smarts.

But there is one thing he’s never done over that long, accomplished career, something he will do for the first time Monday night in Washington, and that’s to play a playoff game with a Canadiens sweater on his back.

St. Louis has spoken in the past of needing veterans who are willing to plant a tree, knowing they will never get to sit in its shade.

Savard will get a tiny bit of time to relax in that shade, because he has planted several trees for the Canadiens over his time here.

“I was a fan growing up,” Savard said. “To be able to wear the jersey in a playoff run, it’s going to be special.”

(Top photo: Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images)

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