Canadiens Looking For A Lot To Trade David Savard

The Montreal Canadiens are one of the early teams to start to sell their players when Sean Monahan was moved to the Winnipeg Jets. That isn't the only player the Canadiens have to move this season as one name is starting to really pick up traction, and that's David Savard.

The veteran defenseman still has one year left on his deal after this season at $3.5 million AAV, but would be a great pickup for a team in contention looking to add a strong defensive piece for two playoff runs. The Canadiens are willing to move him due to the fact that they just have so many young defenseman coming through the ranks and pushing for full time roles in the NHL already.

The Canadiens aren't just willing to throw Savard away though, as according to Marco D'Amico, the team would likely want a first-round pick and more for him in a trade. Due to the term, impact, and the cap hit, this is reasonable considering Monahan fetched them a first round pick and possibly more and he is a UFA at the end of this season.

Right-shot defensemen are harder to come by, so the Canadiens have one of the best pieces to dangle to contenders at the deadline and don't necessarily have to settle. It is becoming more of a regular occurrence that teams look to trade for players that they can have on the team longer than just 15-20 games. The Canadiens can afford to trade Savard now, and it would actually be beneficial to them so that more opportunity can come to the younger d-men sooner rather than later. An injury could derail the Canadiens' plans if they wait too long or don't pull the trigger this season.