Columbus Blue Jackets: David Savard 2018-2019 Season Expectations

Steady defenseman David Savard is entering his eighth season with the Columbus Blue Jackets. What can fans expect from the quiet bully in 2018-2019?

Reliable isn’t always the most exciting adjective when describing any athlete. Sometimes though, it’s exactly what teams are looking for. Columbus Blue Jackets right-handed defenseman David Savard has earned, and owned this label for a few seasons now. He is better than most think, but often too quiet to notice.

It might surprise many to know that Savard is only 27-years old. Beyond looking nearly a decade beyond his age, what this means is that we pretty much know what #58 is going to bring to the ice on a nightly basis. That’s not to say “Savy” can’t have peaks and valleys in his game.

Unlike flashy offensive stars who blow up stat sheets, to project a player like Savard’s season you have to mine for nuance and detail. As subtle as some of these observations might seem, good hockey is often constructed through minutiae. The small things the casual fan doesn’t notice, are often those which can make or break a player’s identity, a win or loss or even playoff success.

Since he is often overlooked solely for being cast as “reliable”, I think it’s worth bringing to light some of Savard’s quiet benefits.

A bruiser on the team’s top penalty kill unit, #58 led the Columbus Blue Jackets in shots blocked last year with 143. This is maybe the most thankless statistic in all of hockey. That’s 143 shots goalie Sergei Bobrovsky doesn’t have to stop. Not every player is so willing to take these pucks either. For contrast, beloved, electric winger Artemi Panarin took 19 in the same number of games (81).

Another under-appreciated statistic, Savard led all Blue Jackets defensemen in hits last year with 144. If that number doesn’t pop off the page for you, the second most of any defensemen was Jack Johnson‘s 101. That’s a substantial gap between one and two. If you don’t believe hits don’t or can’t change the shape of a hockey game, you must be new to the NHL.

Obviously, these two numbers aren’t enough to say that #58 had his best year, or even a good year. They don’t speak to his offense or accountability. These do however qualify him as a glue guy at the blue line. He is in some ways, the Boone Jenner of the defense.

Not everyone can be Seth Jones or Zach Werenski. The Columbus Blue Jackets, like any good team need players who don’t mind getting his hands dirty and Savard does that. He is accountable, durable and stands up for his teammates when things get ugly.

Looking at the other aspects of his game, Savard did not have his best offensive season in 2017-2018. If you didn’t notice his name being called often, that’s because his point totals dropped from the previous year. The veteran d-man posted 23 (6G, 17A) in 16-17, compared to 16 (4G, 12A) last season. Why the drop?

A somewhat bizarre statistic, Savard had the lowest shooting percentage (2.8) of any Blue Jacket player who scored a goal last year. That’s 1.6% lower than his 2016-2017 number of 4.4%. Can we then expect substantially more goals from #58 next season? Probably not, although I would expect his output to climb back towards his career average of six.

In regards to scoring, I would expect Savy’s assist numbers to jump significantly in 2018-19. Averaging 21 helpers per year in the previous three seasons, Savard’s 12 in 17-18 was notably low. Some of this could be accredited to shifting partners but it is more likely because Savard shot more (145 attempts – a career high), saw no power play time and rode an ugly scoring slump through the first 450+ games of the season.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Even with top pair Zach Werenski predicted to miss the first few weeks of the next season, I don’t expect Savard to bump up and pair with Norris candidate Seth Jones. Savy has almost always had the strange assignment of being paired with the new guy. When young defenseman are called up from Cleveland, it seems that they’re typically paired with #58.

This means we could see Savard start the new year next to Dean Kukan, Gabriel Karlsson or Scott Harrington. With Jack Johnson now in Pittsburgh and Ian Cole signed in Colorado, Savy will find a new permanent partner in week one, and likely stay with them through the season.

A final, nuanced expectation of David Savard’s 8th season is still as unsexy as the word “reliable”. With Markus Nutivaara likely the third defenseman called up for power play duties, I expect #58 to hold his spot as first pairing on the PK. He will likely lead the defensemen in blocked shots again.

Regardless of which young defenseman plays the majority of their year in Nationwide, Savard will likely lead defensemen in hits again. He will drop in a few goals, but likely bulk up his assists total.

After a blistering +33 rating in 2016-17, Savy came back to earth and finished +2 in 2017-18. Being first on the ice during a penalty kill tends to damage a defenseman’s plus/minus rating. Yet, as the team finds success across all of its pairings, I would expect him to finish just a touch higher than he did in 2017-18.

Depending on the health and offensive threat of the Nutivaara/Murray pairing, don’t be so surprised if #58 becomes one of the NHL’s best third pairing defensemen. His $4.7M paycheck wouldn’t approve on the surface, but CBJ fans should understand the depth cushion. If this comes to pass, it should be considered a tremendous luxury very few NHL teams can boast.

Nothing about David Savard is fancy, but the Columbus Blue Jackets have what they need in him. Unless he nets a game-winner in the playoffs or signs with a rival, he will continue skating under the radar. That’s why I think that at least once a year it’s good to remind ourselves not to take Mr. Reliable for granted.

It’s easy to get lost in the hype of the #3/#8 defensive pairing. Lurking in the shadows of Nationwide though, is the silent bully. David Savard won’t sell thousands of jerseys or win household recognition in 2018-19.

He will however dive in front of the 100mph slapshot, send opponents home with bruises and likely anchor a pairing featuring an inexperienced partner. He will be steady when many other things might seem “off”. He will be the under-appreciated glue in Columbus next season that he has been for years now.