Marc Savard Played Crucial Role In Bruins’ Resurgence To Contender Status

Marc Savard’s tenure with the Bruins ended Wednesday when he was traded with Reilly Smith to the Florida Panthers in a deal that brought Jimmy Hayes to Boston.

The move marked the end of a nine-year run for Savard with the Bruins. Of course, the last four years have been difficult for the 37-year-old forward. He hasn’t played since January of the 2010-11 campaign after suffering multiple concussions, and he isn’t expected to ever play again.

That said, we should remember Savard for being one of the central figures in helping the Bruins return to legitimate Stanley Cup contender status in the post-2005 lockout era. The B’s have made the playoffs in eight of the 10 seasons since Savard joined the team in July 2006, including two Stanley Cup Final appearances and one championship.

“I spoke with Marc (Wednesday), and you know was happy for him because he sounded like he was in a much better place,” B’s general manager Don Sweeney said Wednesday. “It was obviously devastating to him. He was a foundational player for us in turning things around. We were grateful for that. It wasn’t fun to see him go through that. He’s coming out the other side and he’s in a better place for himself. You know, he said his golf game’s coming around and he’s not having as many headaches and setbacks in things. So from his life perspective, quality of life, things are much better.

“And (Sweeney) was so happy to hear that for him but he was, he was a huge part of what we wanted to do and get us in a position to turn this thing around. And (Wednesday) was just an opportunity for us to have some more flexibility. He was understanding of that and I appreciated that from him, because, you know, he’s a great guy. We’ve missed him in the locker room, missed him on the ice and hopefully he can just continue to get better in his own life and while he has a new family and we think the world of him. And we thank him for his time as a player and, obviously, wish him the best in his own life and to continue to recover to getting back into absolute full health.”

Sometimes it’s easy to forget just how talented and productive Savard was with the Bruins. He’s still the most recent Bruins forward to score at a point-per-game rate in a season with 70-plus games played. He might also be the last Bruins player to hit the 90-point mark for a while.

Savard, from 2006-07 through 2008-09, arguably was the second-best passer/playmaker in the NHL behind former Bruins center Joe Thornton. His 200 assists in that span ranked third behind Sidney Crosby and Thornton. He also was one of 12 players in that period to average 1.1 points per game or higher.

Simply put, Savard’s performance and professionalism made the Bruins much better on the ice and a more attractive destination for players in the trade and free-agent markets. When we look back at this era of Bruins success, No. 91 deserves a ton of credit for making it happen.

B’s Acquisitions Of Beleskey, Hayes Add Size, Scoring >>

Thumbnail photo via Michael Dwyer/Associated Press