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Blockbuster Trade Alert: Edmonton Oilers Snag Matt Savoie from Buffalo Sabres in Shocking Swap for Ryan McLeod and Tyler Tullio
The Buffalo Sabres and Edmonton Oilers exchanged a couple of prospects and a depth forward on Friday afternoon.
Buffalo acquired forwards Ryan McLeod and Tyler Tullio from Edmonton in exchange for forward Matt Savoie.
Savoie was selected ninth overall by the Sabres in the 2022 NHL draft. In February, he ranked 38th on The Hockey News’ top 100 prospects list in Future Watch 2024, based on votes by a scout or director of player personnel on each NHL team. The Oilers’ highest-ranked player at the time was Xavier Bourgault in 97th place.
The 20-year-old played on five different teams in 2023-24, getting one game for the Sabres, five points in six games for AHL Rochester on a conditioning stint, an assist in four games for Team Canada at the world juniors, 24 points in 11 games for WHL Wenatchee and 47 points in 23 games for Moose Jaw. He also recorded 24 points in 19 games in the playoffs for Moose Jaw as the Warriors won the WHL championship. Sabres GM Kevyn Adams even said Savoie is ready for pro hockey.
While Savoie produced offense at will in the AHL and WHL, thanks in part to his skill set and elite skating, there will always remain concerns about him being 5-foot-9 and 180 pounds, which he can quickly ease if he transitions well to the NHL.
McLeod, 24, recorded career highs in goals (12), assists (18), points (30) and games (81) for the Oilers in 2023-24. The 40th-overall pick by Edmonton in 2018 added four goals in 24 playoff games. He’s a depth player who can take a ton of faceoffs and win just over half of them with a 50.8-percent win percentage. McLeod was also part of Edmonton’s remarkable penalty kill during the playoffs, which had killed 34 straight penalties. Even after the Florida Panthers snapped the streak, McLeod wasn’t on the ice for a goal against in more than 36 minutes of shorthanded action in the post-season.
Tullio, meanwhile, has spent the last two seasons with the Oilers’ AHL affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors. The 22-year-old forward, who is known to be reliable defensively and play with tenacity, recorded nine goals and 21 points in 54 games in 23-24.
The Sabres are looking to end the longest active playoff drought in the NHL, and they struggled with the worst faceoff win percentage in the league last season while ranking 13th in penalty-kill percentage. With prospects Jiri Kulich, Noah Ostlund, Isak Rosen and Ryan Johnson still in the system, they’re taking a risk by trading Savoie to fill an immediate need.
Edmonton gains $2.1 million in cap space with the move, which leaves them about $330,000 over the cap with RFAs Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway still to sign.
