Report: If Bruins’ Savard retires, he doesn’t get paid

Savard/By S. Bradley

Here’s the answer to a question many of you have asked me in various forms on this blog and via Twitter.

As per Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe on Marc Savard’s status should he call it quits due to post-concussion syndrome:

However, Savard is not likely to retire officially. Savard is signed through 2016-17, and is still due $21.05 million — a sum he would not collect if he announces his retirement.

“If Savvy retires, he would not be entitled to the benefits of the contract,’’ GM Peter Chiarelli wrote in an e-mail.

The more probable scenario would be for Savard to fail his preseason physical and be placed on long-term injured reserve each year. Savard would collect his salary via insurance, much like Alex Zhamnov drew his salary after the former Bruin broke his ankle in 2006. The Bruins would then be able to exceed the cap by Savard’s $4.007 annual number.

So there you have it. No one can blame Savard for wanting to get paid after all he’s lost to the game he loves. And at least for the duration of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, he’s not hampering the Bruins in terms of the salary cap.