Two new players from CH placed on the trade market at the deadline, including a big surprise? An interesting statement from Arpon Basu

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Elias Edmonson
August 13, 2023 (4:08 PM)

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Since his acquisition in the summer of 2021 as an unrestricted free agent, defender David Savard has provided excellent service to the Canadiens. He has been one of the most reliable defensemen over the past two seasons, which, let's face it, have been quite difficult for the organization.

But now the Canadiens have exceptional defensive prospects with Kaiden Guhle, Justin Barron, and Jordan Harris already with the team, and David Reinbacher, Lane Hutson, and Logan Mailloux possessing unlimited potential.

Thanks to these fine prospects, Kent Hughes will no doubt have more room to maneuver when it comes time to make trades, and as reported by Marqueur.com, a veteran could be sacrificed by then.

In a recent article on The Athletic, journalist Arpon Basu mentioned the possibility that David Savard might be sacrificed at the trade deadline during the 2024-2025 season.

He will be in his last year of contract, and he could become an excellent rental for a team aspiring to the Stanley Cup, having won it with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2021.

The trade deadline in 2024-25 looks very interesting. If David Savard is still there, he will more than likely be available as a rental player, and Mike Matheson will still have a year on his contract, making him an interesting market value with a very affordable contract.

Two names that could therefore surprisingly be traded by the Montreal Canadiens, according to Basu.

You can see that Basu also mentioned the name of Michael Matheson, who could, for his part, have excellent market value.

However, the 2023-2024 season has not even started yet, so let's give it some time, and if the Canadiens are competitive next season, will Savard and Matheson be on the trade market?

It is obviously too early to speculate on what will become of Kent Hughes' team in two years, but whatever happens, David Savard and Michael Matheson will be pillars of the Canadiens' defense in 2023-2024.

In our opinion, Matheson must stay long term, even if his contract is expiring. He must be re-signed and not traded.