Atkinson wears Savard shirt to support longtime Blue Jackets teammate

Defenseman David Savard is no longer with the Columbus Blue Jackets, but his teammate and good friend, forward Cam Atkinson, wore a Savard T-shirt during media availability Friday.

"Yep, representing Savvy today," said Atkinson of Savard, a healthy scratch when the Blue Jackets lost 6-4 to the Tampa Bay Lightning at Nationwide Arena on Thursday. The T-shirt features a profile of Savard with sticks crossed below him and is the same design of Stick Amber Ale by Columbus-based North High Brewing.
Savard was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday as part of
a three-team deal
involving the Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings.
Savard's likeness graces the beer can, which is sold at Nationwide Arena, and he has served as a guest bartender at North High's brewery for Movember. Proceeds from the beer, which is a seasonal offering, benefit the Movember Foundation's mission of raising awareness of men's health issues.
"Obviously, nothing's happened, but he and I have been here the longest," Atkinson said. "We've been up here a long time, 10-plus years. So, just representing him and supporting him."

Savard, who can become an unrestricted free agent after this season, has scored six points (one goal, five assists) in 40 games this season. The Blue Jackets selected him in the fourth round (No. 94) of the 2009 NHL Draft and he made his NHL debut with the team in 2011. Atkinson, who Columbus selected in the sixth round (No. 157) of the 2008 Draft, also made his NHL debut that season.
"I mean, it's a pretty crappy situation, really," Atkinson said. "Ultimately, this is what happens when you put yourself as a team in this situation, him obviously being a UFA as well. So, yeah, not the situation we want to be in and (one) we haven't been in, in a long time. Savvy's been a guy who's been here for a long time and he's one of the faces of this organization for a long time plays the right way every single day. So yeah."
The Blue Jackets are seventh in the eight-team Discover Central Division, seven points behind the fourth-place Nashville Predators. The top four teams in each division qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.