Of all the significant players not invited to the 46 man training camp, Marc Savard is by far the most confusing non-choice. Paul Kariya is probably the second biggest surprise, and it's not really surprising at all that he wasn't selected. But let's look at Savard:
- more than 1 point per game in the last 5 NHL seasons
- 19 points in 18 playoff games
- 9th in NHL scoring last season
- 4th out of Canadian-born players behind Crosby, Getzlaf, and Iginla
If you saw this description without seeing who it was about, you might guess these numbers belong to Dany Heatley (invited), Joe Thornton (invited), or Vincent Lecavalier (invited). There are of course some knocks on Savard
- plus/minus rating of ZERO in his last five seasons (poor defence for someone with that many points
- has turned down 4-5 invitations to play with team Canada in the World Championships
- Canada has players with his skills, who are better two way players
These are all good points, but my argument is this: Marc Savard is an insanely good passer with HUGE offensive upside. Put a defensive-minded winger on one side and a sniper on the other, and Savard could be the difference maker. I understand leaving a role player off the team when you're not sure if he can handle the high level of play. For example, Milan Lucic was invited. He can be a difference maker too, but I think his chances of making the team should be less than fifty percent. You can't just ignore a talent like Marc Savard. Let me paint a picture of a possible roster for you. Remember I have done relatively no deep thinking about this, so try to catch my point:
1st line: Nash, Crosby, Iginla- I think this is pretty obvious. Rick Nash is a beast playing for Canada, and Crosby is just as talented a passer as Savard. Iginla will be an important leader on the team.
2nd line: Heatley, Thornton, Marleau- Let's just keep this line together for shits and giggles. I think Marleau should be a no, but I wouldn't be mad if he got chosen, and he's from Saskatchewan, so let's root for that.
3rd line: Getzlaf, Savard, Lucic- Lucic is the defensive presence, Getzlaf is solid two way, but more importantly he can score, and there's Savard setting them up.
4th line: There could be 10 different guys on here you couldn't argue with.
Steve Yzerman, you are the bee's knees, the cat's pajamas, the goat's coats. I think you should bring Savard to Vancouver. He's pretty good.
