Serge Savard is optimistic about the Canadians’ future.

The former general manager and defense attorney has full confidence in the managers who he sees superior to their predecessors.

“You shouldn’t look at how they ended the season. The Canadian was very unlucky with the many injuries. You have to give the runner a chance. I think we have a direction that is much superior to the previous one. I have confidence into the team’s future,” Savard said in an interview with TVA Sports in the pregame of Game 3 between the Golden Knights and the Jets on Saturday afternoon.

In his opinion, “two or three good players are missing to give the organization a good start”.

“We certainly have a 50-goal scorer in Cole Caufield. The decision to have surgery in the middle of the season was the right one. If we added a similar player it would make a difference.

“Lafleur was ahead of the parade”

Also, exactly one year ago, Quebec mourned the death of the legendary Guy Lafleur. Savard obviously has fond memories of his illustrious teammate.

“Everyone who played with him has so many fond memories of him. He was the National League’s top player for six years. It took three years to reach its peak, after which it completely dominated the league. He was ahead of the parade.

“He is a good example of a team player. A goal was just as important as a goal and everyone understood that. Lafleur didn’t think he was anyone else. He didn’t see himself as taller than the other players on the team.

What place does “Le Démon blond” hold among the greatest players in Canadian history?

“I don’t want to put one before the other. In my opinion, there have been three great players in modern times: Maurice Richard, Jean Béliveau and Guy Lafleur. A guy like Larry Robinson was a great player, but I wouldn’t put him on the same level as Lafleur,” Savard said.

Watch the full interview in the video above.