I think we are facing quite a challenge with Savard. He was supposed to be a steady veteran presence and tutor& partner for Hutson, however in first 5 games he looked like the weakest link in our defense. He will turn 34 in few days and it looks like he regressed heavily. Overall, it complicates our D pairings a lot, because he is no longer able to cover for Hutson or Matheson. He was kept in 3rd pairing with Xhekaj who also lacks speed. He could work with Struble, but creates a hole as we need to play Barron with Matheson which is crazy pairing defensively.
View attachment 918136
His gap to league average speed for defenseman is growing and he is one of the slowest players in the league. Forget about extension or 1st at TDL, I still hope he can bounce back to solid level, but he will be not more than 3rd pairing for us.