Savvy and the Looch: Back to the Ice
Well, this column was supposed to be a Report Card-type look at the Bruins at the quarter pole of the 2009-10 season. Take a nice look at who has been playing well and who has left something to be desired. However, a few interesting news items came to light on Wednesday pertaining to injured Bruins players and it is best to focus on those right now rather than look back on a subpar start for the Black and Gold.
Dynamic playmaker Marc Savard caused quite a stir on two fronts yesterday afternoon. First, he boarded the team plane to Atlanta despite only participating in minimal skating while recovering from a broken left foot. Then, reports started to filter out of Canada that the B’s and Savard are very close to a contract extension that would lock up the skilled center for the foreseeable future. Quite a news splash from a guy who hasn’t played in a game for a month.
What does this mean for the Bruins?
1. For the past week or so, it was widely assumed (insert joke about assuming here) that Milan Lucic would be the Bruin to return from LTIR first. He had only a broken finger and had started skating about 10 days ago and joined in contact drills earlier this week. Of the two injured parts on the top line, Looch was expected to have his game legs back first and be ready to join the club, perhaps as early as tonight in Atlanta. 
Savard had his walking boot on the broken foot until this weekend, and hasn’t skated in one contact drill since going on IR in mid-October. While reports of his presence in the weight room while rehabbing are positive signs that his strength will be where it needs to be when he lines up for the first time, it would have been a stretch to imagine he had the gas in the tank to play games immediately. However, it was Savard who checked his bags for the Dirty with the rest of the boys, not Lucic. Would the B’s go through the trouble of travelling a player who had no chance of playing? Doubtful. And this is just a one and done excursion, heading to ATL for the game and then back to Boston for a few days before heading out again. There has to be at least a 75% chance that Savvy is in the lineup tonight at Phillips Arena.
2. What does this say about the two injuries? At first glance, comparing a broken finger and a broken bone in the foot seems like apples and oranges. A broken digit seems far less likely to be serious than a broken wheel. However, remember how each injury was handled. Lucic was out as soon as the finger was broken and had a pin put in. Savard, it turns out, was playing on the broken left foot all season before sitting down.
Clearly, the broken bone in the foot was painful and needed to be treated. But Savard played through it for a few weeks and was effective at that time as well. It is fair to say that once the bone healed, he would be ready to go. He has added some protection to his skate and deemed it playable after his first twirl back. If he has been working as hard on strength and conditioning while out as is reported, he should be able to come back and contribute right away. Lucic, on the other hand, is a bit different. He broke his right index finger and as a left-handed shot, that top hand on the stick is crucial. He needs to have full capabilities with the hand – gripping the stick for shots, poke checks, etc. never mind the fisticuffs he is known for. The pugilistic side of Lucic’s game will most likely be shelved for a bit. If Lucic is in the lineup and can’t fight, can’t shoot and can’t pass, he is a waste of space. No need suiting him up until he passes all the tests.
3. If Savard does suit up tonight, what can Bruins fans expect? No doubt he will be back centering the first line and getting power play minutes. Those are two very good things for the B’s. The power play has been horrendous since he was injured and is now the worst in the NHL. Savard’s vision and quick hands make him dangerous in all areas as he can land a pass quicker than just about any player in the league. Getting him 14-17 minutes of 5-on-5 and PP time makes the team better. I wouldn’t expect him to see much penalty kill time right away. The guys killing penalties right now are doing a good job and putting him on the ice in that situation is asking him to block shots with the body, something you would like to avoid as he eases back from a broken foot.
The interesting thing is that the lines have been all jumbled since Savvy went out. Before the injury, he was playing pretty much with Sturm and Lucic. Expect more shuffling from Julien with his top pivot back. It’s not like there are any top lines that are working so well right now that they need to stay together. Krejci and Wheeler always work well together so maybe they stay as a unit. I would think Julien may try and jumpstart slumping Michael Ryder by putting him with Savard and the same for Mark Recchi. One of those guys will probably slide in on the right side. It is hard to take ice time from Patrice Bergeron who has carried the team up front during Savard’s absence, but he may find himself back on the third/shutdown line with maybe Daniel Paille and Vladimir Sobotka. All in all, it is a much better problem finding ice time for good players than it is having to mix and match AHL call-ups and NHL washouts. 
4. The other big news floating around the Hub of Hockey this week is the impending contract extension of Savard. Kevin Paul DuPont talked about it in his Sunday notes column in the Globeand the hockey rumor mill up in Canada has been mentioning it all day. All along, it was assumed that Savard wanted to stay in Boston and that the B’s wanted to keep him. The only question would be contract terms.
There is no question that Savard is a top-flight playmaker in the league. He has averaged over a point a game his last five seasons and has developed into a responsible defensive player under Claude Julien. If he reached free agency this summer, there is no doubt that a team would offer him a big money deal. Most hockey people figured it would be his hometown Maple Leafs as they look to add an actual NHL-caliber centre to go with Phil Kessel. So it is in Peter Chiarelli’s best interest to lock up Savard now, especially if he wants to stay in Boston.
5. The rumored deal for Savard is seven years and anywhere from $32-39 million. He will turn 33 after this season and would be 40 when the deal expires. That is a lot of time and money to invest in a player who is in his prime now but will not be halfway through the deal. The way the deal will most likely be structured will be in line with the new way of doing things in the NHL. Expect the deal to be front loaded, with all but $5-6 million included in the first five years. That way, when Savard approaches the final years, if he is declining in skill, the B’s could buy him out for cheap and not be saddled with big cap hits on a player not on the team (i.e. Glen Murray.) If this is how the deal goes down, it is a good one for the Bruins. People will be shocked by the length and the possibility of having a 39-year old player making a boatload of money and not earning it.
This much is certain, if Marc Savard is on the Bruins when he is 38, it will be because he is still a good player. His decreasing cap hit throughout the deal makes sure of that. In terms of how this deal impacts the overall dynamic of the B’s, locking up Savard gives the Bruins 12 key players under contract for next season. Included in that group are the teams’ top three centers (Savard, Bergeron, and Krejci) as well as wingers Ryder, Sturm and Lucic. Also, defensemen Zdeno Chara, Dennis Wideman, and Matt Hunwick as well as both goalies in Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask. That is a very good nucleus of players. The tricky part will be what to do with the free agents. Blake Wheeler and Mark Stuart appear to be the next two big fish to fry for the B’s, as both young players are restricted free agents after the season. Both should be brought back. Shawn Thornton, the heart-and-soul of the team is an unrestricted free agent, but would likely sign on again for a year or two if asked (and he should be) at short money. The wild card in the whole deal is what happens with the salary cap. If it goes down significantly, the Bruins will have tough decisions, and if it stays roughly the same, they should be okay. The Bruins look at this season and next as a real window to compete for the Cup. After that, labor unrest and economic issues could jumble the whole league up again and who knows what will happen. There is nothing wrong with locking up your best assets before prices are driven up and going for it all.
One thing is for sure, with the simple addition of a boarding pass with the name Savard on it, the Bruins made this roadie against Atlanta much more interesting.
One Response to “Savvy and the Looch: Back to the Ice”
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Savard is in Atlanta to talk to Kovalchuk (his ex-linemate)about coming to the Bruins. (I’m kidding…he’s probably just trying to get back into the routine)
So if Lucic can’t shoot or fight, he’s useless? How about slamming hapless opponents into the boards? Never underestimate a physical presence like Lucic’s.
Looch has looked ok tonight so far…not out of place at all.