Savard focused on preventing goals, but ready to contribute offensively
`I'm not Shea Weber ... I'm not going to replace him,' says veteran defenceman
David Savard has a good idea of who he is and what he can be.
“I'm not Shea Weber ... I'm not going to replace him,” Savard said Friday after the second day of on-ice sessions at the Canadiens' training camp in Brossard. “I'm going to be myself, there's nothing more I can do. If I stay within my limit, play my game, I can help the team and have a positive impact.”
Savard, who signed a four-year, Us$14-million deal as a free agent, shares some qualities with Weber. He's big at 6-foot-2 and 233 pounds, and he plays the same physical game. He had a chance to study the Canadiens up close during the Stanley Cup Final and says his game is “going to play well here in Montreal.”
While he takes pride in his defensive ability, Savard suggested he might also be able to pitch in at the other end of the ice. He led the QMJHL in points by a defenceman with 77 in his final year with the Moncton Wildcats, setting a league record with 64 assists. He also put up good offensive numbers during the early stages of his career in Columbus, with a career-high 11 goals and 36 points in 2014-15.
“Obviously your role on a team changes with different players in the lineup, and it was definitely a change when Seth Jones and Zach Werenski came in and I became more of a defensive D-man,” said Savard. “We'll see if I get a chance to be on the power play a bit. This is where your offence comes from in this league, and I'll try to chip in, but first I'm going to concentrate defensively, because that's what's kept me in this league.”
Playing in Montreal hasn't always been easy for Quebecers, but Savard, who grew up in St-hyacinthe as a Canadiens fan, said he and his family have embraced the move.
The Canadiens will play the first of their six exhibition games on Saturday in Toronto (7 p.m., SN1, TSN 690 Radio, 98.5 FM).
The lineups won't resemble the teams that battled in the first round of the playoffs this year. Each team will dress the bare minimum of Nhl-calibre players mandated by NHL rules, one or two players who are on the bubble and a larger group of players who are headed to the Laval Rocket.
Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme said he'll follow the same formula for the first three pre-season games, ramp up the NHL content for the fourth, and play the final two pre-season games with the same lineup he expects to use on opening night.
Saturday's spotlight will be on the trio that figures to be the top line during the regular season with Nick Suzuki between rookie Cole Caufield and Tyler Toffoli. Ryan Poehling, who is battling for a spot on the roster, will centre the No. 2 line, with Artturi Lehkonen and Laurent Dauphin on his wings.
An interesting defence pair will feature veteran Jeff Petry playing alongside Alexander Romanov. The young Russian spent most of the playoffs as a healthy scratch, but he could be a sleeper in the battle for a top-four spot, and Ducharme said he could see power play action during the regular season.