Flyers’ General Manager Chuck Fletcher preached patience this past offseason in regards to signing or trading players, as the expansion draft was just around the corner. The Flyers were left with a huge void following Matt Niskanen’s retirement. Furthermore, some young defensemen are struggling right now with the likes of Travis Sanheim, Ivan Provorov, and Philippe Myers. Some vets have also struggled at times as well, to include Shayne Gostisbehere and Erik Gustafsson. The Defense overall has just been a mess this season, and Fletcher knows it. So much so, that that a rugged defenseman in David Savard should be a target by the trade deadline on April 12, 2021.
Savard, a Right-Handed Defenseman would be a great fill in for Niskanen. Unfortunately, he will cost but at age 30 he is showing no signs of slowing down, and Savard would fill Niskanen’s shoes nicely.
This Right-Handed Defenseman in Savard can play in any situation the coaching staff asks of him. Savard could also provide veteran leadership for the youth to include Provorov, Sanheim, and Myers. He also logs 19:32 of ice time per night, and has tallied five assists this season.
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Savard excels at defending his position and shutting down high-scoring opponents. He has good lateral mobility and plenty of size as he stands at 6’2 and weighs 229 pounds. Savard can block shots with the best of them and is physical which is an area the Flyers desperately need to shore up to have an extended playoff run.
The good thing is Savard has an expiring contract, so the Flyers do not have to protect him in the upcoming expansion draft if they choose not to. He is currently making $4.25 million, and he would fetch a high-end prospect (Not named Cam York or Morgan Frost), an NHL player, and a pick. Moreover, for those thinking the Columbus Blue Jackets will not make a trade with the Flyers because of the rivalry between the two teams, well they are not in the same division this year and next year is anyone’s guess. The Blue Jackets organization knows for a fact if Savard plans on re-signing with them at year’s end, and if he has no intentions of doing so they will not risk losing him for nothing.
The Flyers have not been sticking up for one another after some big hits to Scott Laughton and Sean Couturier most notably, well that would come to an end with Savard on their team:
When will Fletcher strike? It’s only a matter of time, however, time is dwindling and it has become apparent even after a 5-4 overtime victory last night that the Flyers need help on the backend immediately. In the coming days, Fletcher will hopefully be busy trying to obtain a quality top 4 Defenseman, especially with bidding wars starting to ensue as the trade deadline nears. Hopefully the Flyers continue to right the ship until Fletcher is able to strike.
