The Columbus Blue Jackets boast one of the best defensive pairings on the planet in Seth Jones and Zach Werenski. The club has taken steps to bolster the rest of the d-corps, and the emergence of David Savard and Jack Johnson as a reliable pair last year helped further that goal. Savard, the younger and steadier of those two players, didn’t have the season he’s had in years past, but how was 2017-18?
First: Savard played 81 games for the first time since 2014-15, no small feat for an NHL defenseman, especially one that blocked a career-high 143 shots like Savard did.