BATTALION BREAKDOWN: David Savard

Battalion Breakdown is a closer look at the Blue Jackets' past season from a numerical standpoint, starting with the highest jersey number and counting down to the lowest. Today, BlueJackets.com examines defenseman David Savard's season and how it impacted Columbus in the 2017-18 campaign.
David Savard
Number:58
Age:27
Birthdate:Oct. 22, 1990
Height/Weight:6-2, 227
Position:Defenseman
Nickname:"Savy"
It was a season David Savard will probably remember for several reasons.
His home became an NHL billet for 19-year old rookie Pierre-Luc Dubois, who developed into a No. 1 center and developed a bond with Savard's two young kids.
Savard also shaved his mountain-man beard for charity, was split from longtime defense partner, Jack Johnson, clawed his way out of the slump that led to that move and then gained a new defense partner at the NHL Trade Deadline in Ian Cole - who looked like his American twin brother.
Savard's numbers dropped in the main offensive categories, but increased in other areas. He also played in his 400th NHL game and formed a physically imposing pairing with Cole. Built similarly, the "Lumberjackets" gave Columbus a cohesive duo of hard-hitting defensemen who blocked shots, chipped in offensively and made opposing forwards pay a price for skating into the Blue Jackets' defensive zone.
Savard's average ice time dipped under 20 minutes for the first time in four seasons (19:22), but he also stayed healthy after missing a combined 25 games the previous two years.
Here's a glance at Savard's 2017-18 season, by the numbers:

THE BREAKDOWN
81
When you think about Savard at the top of his game, the words 'reliable' and 'dependable' come to mind. Despite his mid-season slump, there wasn't a more dependable defenseman on the Jackets' roster, as far as health. He played 81 games, one shy of his career-high, and didn't miss a single game because of injury. The only game Savard missed was the result of being a healthy scratch.
145
It didn't result in a goal-scoring increase, but Savard pulled out of his funk by shooting the puck more. He peppered the net from all angles and set a career high with 145 shots on goal, which exceeded his previous career-high from 2016-17 by 10 shots. Savard also took 271 attempts, third-highest among Blue Jackets defensemen, and put seven shots on goal Feb. 14 in Toronto for a season-high. Less than three percent of his shots went into the net, resulting in just four goals, but Savard's shooting also led to 18 rebounds created - which tied for third-most on the team with Artemi Panarin and Boone Jenner.
31
Through his first 56 games, Savard had four goals, six assists, 10 points and a minus-10 plus/minus rating. He didn't score another goal in the final 25 games but had six assists and a plus-12 plus/minus rating in that span, including plus-18 over 20 games from Feb. 16 to Mar. 27. That stretch helped Savard get back into the positive overall, and he finished with a plus-2. That was an impressive turnaround, even though his plus/minus for the season was 31 points lower than his career-high plus-33 in 2016-17.
16
Savard isn't an offensive defenseman, but did average 28 points the previous three years. This season, his prolonged slump contributed to a 16-point output, which included only one point in the final 11 games. Savard also went scoreless in the Jackets' first-round playoff series against the Washington Capitals.
2.8
A big reason Savard's offensive numbers dipped was simply because the puck didn't go into the net for him. His 2.8 shooting percentage was the lowest among 25 players who scored a goal for the Blue Jackets and was 2.4 percent lower than his career average of 5.2 percent. It was also down 1.6 percent from 2016-17, when Savard hit the back of the net with 4.4 percent of his 135 shots.
143
Another area where Savard excelled was stopping shots. He was credited with 143 blocked shots, which led Columbus and ranked 33rd among all NHL players. Savard's blocked-shot total has increased in each of his past five seasons in the NHL, starting with 81 in 70 games in 2013-14. Savard has blocked more than 100 shots in each of the past four years for an average of 121 per season and 1.6 per game.