Patrik Laine and David Savard will stay in Montreal, while the team heads out to Washington for a Friday night game, followed by a clash with the Stars in Dallas.
The Montreal Canadiens announced on Thursday that David Savard and Patrik Laine wouldn't be joining the team on their flight to Washington.
With the Canadiens set for a back-to-back, the club will face Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals on Friday night. The club will have a quick turnaround, with a showdown against the Dallas Stars on Saturday night from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec. Montreal has done a modest job without Laine's scoring touch in the lineup and will have to continue that trend this upcoming weekend.
Laine will miss his fourth and fifth consecutive games, while he is dealing with flu-like symptoms. Savard will also sit out his fourth game when the Habs face the Capitals in Washington, due to an upper-body injury. Montreal is looking for their ninth win in their past 11 games, and the club has been off since they played the Vancouver Canucks on Monday night.
The Habs should come out playing some inspired hockey, with the club and playoffs being mentioned in the same breath since 2021. Montreal has been hard at work trying to turn the page from rebuilding to being in the mix. While they are there now, there is still plenty of hockey to be played, and the club will need all hands on deck.
Montreal's defence has been steady as can be since Alexandre Carrier joined the team via trade with the Nashville Predators in exchange for Justin Barron. Carrier brings a stout, and strong defensive game to the Canadiens blueline, and they have been playing inspiring hockey since his arrival. While the offence has continued chugging, having Laine back is massive for the Canadiens' scoring attack.
Habs defence has fared well in Savard's absence
I think that David Savard has been a steady, calming presence for the young Canadiens blueline, and he has eaten up big minutes for the club. But the recent addition of Carrier, and the hopes for David Reinbacher and Logan Mailloux muddy up the defence. With six quality defensemen in the lineup, while Savard nurses an ailment, I wonder if he is more valuable on the trade market than he is to the Habs.
With the playoffs in grasp, I don't expect that Hughes will be trying to move any players, but I do think at some point the team will have decisions to make. In a playoff run scenario, keeping a guy like Savard on the team is important. But I think that Montreal has brought in Savard's replacement (Carrier) and Mike Matheson can play on the right side.
I think the fact that Montreal hasn't skipped a beat during Savard's absence proves that the team would be able to absorb the loss of Savard. At the right price, Hughes might not be able to say no, and retaining something for Savard, before his value drops is a wise decision. Savard can help a team now, and the stretch that we're upon between now and the March 7th NHL Trade Deadline will determine an awful lot.
It could be the last time a few faces on the Habs roster call Montreal home.
