Montreal beat the Buffalo Sabres 3-1 Monday night, but the hits keep coming for the team. After losing Kirby Dach for the season in their second game, defenceman David Savard is out indefinitely for Montreal.
Montreal announces David Savard — injured last night — is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury. Gustav Lindstrom up from AHL Laval on an emergency basis.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) October 24, 2023
So Gustav Lindstrom is recalled. That is directly linked to David Savard hand injury last night. Could be a question of weeks for him if a fracture is confirmed.
— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) October 24, 2023
David Savard Out Indefinitely
Savard has been a steady presence on Montreal’s young defence corps this season, and he has two assists in his first five games. Last season, he played an average of 22:23 per game, behind only Mike Matheson. His penalty-killing ability is potentially an even bigger loss. This kill from Monday night is an excellent example, and may very well be when the injury occurred. (Notice that he lost a skate blade during the kill as well):
When your team has struggled to stay out of the box, that’s not the player you want to lose.
What This Means
Replacing Savard will be a group effort, but the team has called up a defenceman from Laval. Gustav Lindström came over from Detroit as part of the three-team Jeff Petry trade this past summer. The 25-year-old Swede was drafted 38th overall in 2017 and joined the Red Wings organization two years later, moving between Detroit and Grand Rapids of the AHL. He spent all of the last two seasons with the big club, playing 63 games in the 21-22 season and 36 last year.
It will be a baptism by fire for Lindström with the Habs. The team plays Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday this week, albeit all at home. Next week they travel west for games in Las Vegas, Arizona, and St. Louis. Losing Savard’s veteran presence and reliability will be tough for the young up-and-coming team. However, this could be an opportunity for other players to step up and gain experience. This includes Gustav Lindström as well as others.
Main Photo Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
