Savard is playing serious minutes.....Powerplay, PK, even strength he's been money on face-offs....this guy is all over the ice setting up McEachern and others right left and centre.....
I hope he keeps this up they need his offensive instincts more then ever....
Hartley works his centers hard and also shortens his bench when things get tight. I knew he was going to get the most out of Savard. While I'm sure Marc has his occasional defensive lapses, he's regained the slick passing skills that helped turn Jarome Iginla into a phenom. Easily the best trade Waddell has made yet.
I'm also impressed at the ice time Slava Kozlov is getting. 25 minutes per game, which is first on the Thrashers. That's also first among NHL forwards and 10th among all NHL'ers.
Savard is currently leading the league with 62 face off wins. (62 wins/48 lost - 56%)
He currently has the 16th most ATOI amongst NHLers and 2nd amongst forwards(right behind Kozlov - 24:39 for Savard vs. 25:13 for Kozlov)
When Atlanta first acquired Savard I wasn't too sure what we were getting, especially considering the labels of "defensive liability" and "selfishness" put on him by various sources. His play at the end of last season and his play so far this season have erased all doubts from my mind. He was a great pick-up, especially when in hindsight the trade looks like this:
To Phoenix: Darcy Hordichuk
To Atlanta: Kirill Safronov and Ruslan Zainullin
To Calgary: Ruslan Zainullin
To Atlanta: Marc Savard
So DW basically turned Darcy Hordichuk into Marc Savard and Kirill Safronov. This is IMO amongst the best moves DW has made as the GM of this team.
