Canadiens add defenseman David Savard and forward Mike Hoffman
Anthony Scultore
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The Montreal Canadiens got to work after losing Phillip Danault to the L.A. Kings and Shea Weber to injury. In their place are two veterans.
Forward Mike Hoffman signed with the Montreal Canadiens. The deal is reported to be for three years and $13.5 million, for a $4.5 million average annual value.
Defenseman David Savard signed earlier in the day to the tune of four-years and $14 million with an AAV of $3.5 million.
Canadiens sign David Savard and Mike Hoffman
Savard, 30, was traded at the deadline by the Blue Jackets to the Lightning and played a key role in their Stanley Cup win. He scored six points in 54 regular-season contests.
“I was definitely trying to find the best fit, a team that wanted to have me, and I think Montreal showed a lot of interest right away,” Savard said Wednesday. “And for me it was easy, the way they spoke to us and the way they wanted us to be there and to be a big part of their team moving forward.”
Hoffman, 31, spent the 2020-21 season with the St. Louis Blues. The Canadian native was an Ottawa Senator from 2011 to 2018, then spent two seasons with the Florida Panthers before joining St. Louis.
Hoffman tallied 36 points (17 goals, 19 assists) in 52 games last season. In 545 career games, he has recorded 395 points (189 goals, 206 assists) while playing both center and left wing.
The Canadiens made a surprise run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2020-21 out of the temporary, all-Canada North Division, before losing the final to the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games.
We wanted to make up for the loss of Shea as best we could. I think everyone knows that Shea to irreplaceable, both on the ice and in the dressing room. By bringing David to Montreal, we envision a similar player on the penalty kill. He has very good size. He’s really intense. He brings toughness in front of the net. We want to build a similar quartet on defense. I think David can fill the hole left by Shea in that regard.
Montreal Canadiens
–Field Level Media contributed to this report.