The Edmonton Oilers are hoping to contend for a Stanley Cup once again next season. To that end, they made a rather interesting trade with the Buffalo Sabres that could help them in the short and long-term. Edmonton traded for former top-10 pick Matt Savoie in a deal that sent third-line center Ryan McLeod to the Sabres. Savoie is seen has being a high-potential prospect who immediately becomes Edmonton's top young player in their system.
The Edmonton Oilers are hoping to contend for a Stanley Cup once again next season. To that end, they made a rather interesting trade with the Buffalo Sabres that could help them in the short and long-term. Edmonton traded for former top-10 pick Matt Savoie in a deal that sent third-line center Ryan McLeod to the Sabres.
The move came as a surprise to many hockey fans. Savoie is seen has being a high-potential prospect who immediately becomes Edmonton's top young player in their system. Now, the Edmonton native is heading home hoping to crack the Oilers roster this season. And he couldn't be more excited for the season ahead.
“Watching the playoff run they went on and being around the city and the buzz, it’s exciting to come to this team right now. You look at the roster and the additions they made in the summer and they’re going for it at every point this year, so it’s exciting to come to this kind of group and hopefully I’ll get a good opportunity,” Savoie said, via NHL.com.
Oilers' Matt Savoie reacts to Sabres trade
The Sabres are in an unenviable position. Buffalo has missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for 13 consecutive seasons. This past campaign was particularly disappointing as they fell well below expectations. Buffalo has a crop of young players with a lot of potential in their system. However, the pressure to win now is beginning to grow.
From this standpoint, it's somewhat understandable why the Sabres made this trade. McLeod went on a sustained playoff run with the Oilers this past season. He helped them make the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers. And this gives him more experience playing playoff hockey than a lot of players his age. Savoie echoed this sentiment when speaking on the trade recently.
“I think it was a good situation in Buffalo and I think they have a ton of young prospects right now that are kind of on the cusp of making it to the league,” Savoie said, via NHL.com. “So, I think they had to move a couple of guys out and try to make their team better now and get some older players, experienced players now. I understood it and I’m really excited to be with the Oilers now.”
Savoie and McLeod may be comparable players right now. But both the Sabres and Oilers are making major bets with this trade. Edmonton is betting that Savoie becomes a regular contributor in their top six. Meanwhile, Buffalo is betting that McLeod's experience helps them win now as he continues to grow as a player. It'll certainly be interesting to see how this trade looks a few years from now.
