Montreal Canadiens defenseman David Savard announced he will retire after the playoffs on Friday.

The 34-year-old told Canadiens management of his intentions a few weeks ago, according to TVA’s Renaud Lavoie.

In 75 games this season, Savard recorded one goal and 15 points. He has averaged 16:35 this season, his lowest ice time average since his first two seasons in the NHL.

Savard played 870 regular-season games in 14 seasons for three different clubs. The 34-year-old represented the Tampa Bay Lightning for 14 games during the 2020-21 season. He also played 10 seasons for the team that selected him 94th overall in the 2009 NHL draft, the Columbus Blue Jackets.

These upcoming playoffs will be the seventh and final time Savard hunts for a Stanley Cup. His last post-season appearance was with the Lightning in 2021, where the team won their second straight Stanley Cup, defeating Montreal.

Since then, Savard joined the Canadiens as a free agent in the summer of 2021 and was added to become a veteran presence for the young Habs. This will be the team’s first playoff appearance since they advanced to the final four years ago.

The St-Hyacinthe, Que., native has been known for his shutdown abilities as a defensive defenseman. Savard was a shot-blocking merchant throughout his career. He finished the season with 180 blocks, which was good enough to rank eighth in the NHL.

Since entering the NHL in the 2011-12 season, he is 13th on the blocks chart with a total of 1,624 blocked shots.

Now with a slot opening up on Montreal’s defense for next season, there is an opportunity for David Reinbacher to emerge as an NHL regular. The former fifth overall pick suffered a serious knee injury in pre-season, forcing him to undergo surgery and miss six months of action. 

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