Dany Dubé: “We need to find someone to replace David Savard.”

Marc-Olivier Cook
Dany Dubé: “We need to find someone to replace David Savard.”
Credit: Getty Images

The Canadiens' defense, on paper, isn't bad.

Kent Hughes acquired Noah Dobson last summer to solidify the top-4, and so far, it's working. Kaiden Guhle's injury hurts on some levels (which it should), but it's not a disaster overall because other guys have been able to step up.

But looking at the big picture, it's true to say that David Savard's departure has left its mark. And Dany Dubé(98.5 FM) is right: the Habs need to replace him on the blue line.

Alexandre Carrier was expected to take a step forward in the Canadiens' defensive brigade. We expected to see him take on a bigger role with Savard's departure, but the problem is simple: Carrier hasn't been playing the best hockey of his career since the start of the campaign.

He's not as solid as he was this time last year, and in Dany Dubé's eyes, the Habs need to find a guy like Savard if they're to make any headway in the playoffs.

The Habs aren't missing much right now.

The youngsters are excellent (I'm thinking especially of the 2nd line) and those who have arrived like Oliver Kapanen, Ivan Demidov, and Zachary Bolduc are more productive than those who left last summer (like Armia and Dvorak, in particular).

Dany Dubé talked about this recently on the Mario Langlois show.

This means that, offensively, there are fewer holes than before in Martin St-Louis' lineup. But we also realize that the defense isn't necessarily better with Savard gone (even though Dobson has arrived) because the Québécois had such an important role in Montreal.

Having said that, I wonder how much Kaiden Guhle could take that chair when he returns to the game. He has Savard's qualities, after all: Guhle is defensively responsible, he's capable of playing big minutes, he can be used on the power play… and he's capable of playing all 200 feet of the ice.

Because you have to consider the absence of Guhle, who hasn't played since October 16. As Dany Dubé suggests, he could be the Habs' missing defensive piece…


Overtime

– Oh.

– Interesting.

– It's your turn!

– Good read.

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