Here's the thing. Is Savard necessarily worth a 1st. No. Is it possible Hugo has set the price at a 1st and is playing a bit of hard ball. Yes. Do we have to move him this year? No. Is it possible a team wants him enough to pay a 1st for him. We might find out. Do teams have to pay a 1st for him. No.
If a team doesn't hit Hugo's asking price, there is zero incentive to "settle" for what the market is offering. We can hold on to Savard and do this all again next deadline, when circumstances and market could be different. Is it possible Savard falls off a cliff and the 2nd looks good in comparison? yes. But who really cares, a 2nd isnt really worth much anyways, and at this point next year, when losing him for nothing at years end, we may take whatever we can get for him.
So far, I love the value that Hugo has been able to squeeze out of previous D-men trades. Chariot, Petry, Kulak. Kent Hughes has shown the ability to be a very cool player in the trade market. He so far has not acted rashly or made any desperate trades.
Let's see what happens.