Much like with Warren Foegele, who I wrote about days ago, Ryan McLeod is another player whose time with the Oilers has come and gone.

Drafted by the team in the second round of the 2018 draft, it didn’t take him long to establish himself as a legit prospect for the team. He broke into the NHL in 2021-22, improving in ways each season.

Ultimately, however, an inability to capitalize when it matters most was his downfall. McLeod enjoyed a solid 2023-24 season, setting career highs in goals, assists and points, with 12, 18 and 30, respectively, while playing key defensive roles for the team. Most of his production came in times when he was elevated up the lineup alongside Leon Draisaitl, and his biggest knock was, quite simply, his inability to produce offence otherwise.

Of his 26 5v5 points this year, 11 of them came alongside Draisaitl in 186 minutes, with the German being his fifth most common linemate, for a 3.5 points per hour rate. McLeod’s rate away from Draisaitl? 1.1.

There are tons of positives to what McLeod brought, however. The Oilers consistently controlled the shot attempt share, scoring chance share, expected goal share and most importantly, the actual goal share, all while playing limited minutes alongside either Draisaitl or Connor McDavid. That’s been a serious point of content for the Oilers depth players in the past, but was a trend McLeod helped — in a big way — buck.

McLeod’s on-ice contributions were significant, so much so that hockeyviz.com has them at that of a high-end first line player. He provided offence at a 10 percent rate above league average, defence at a nine percent ate above league average, and work on the penalty kill at a seven percent rate above league average. These are all very impressive numbers, but it doesn’t overshadow his inability to get to the blue paint in the offensive zone, or the fact he had just four points, all goals, in 24 playoff games for the Oilers this year.

Edmonton ultimately traded him this offseason to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Matthew Savoie, who has instantly become the Oilers’ top prospect. It was a smart move by the Oilers to get younger, cheaper, and refill the prospect cupboard, but I’m still concerned, at least in the short-term, about the bottom-six and the penalty kill sans McLeod.

It will be on some other players, namely Adam Henrique, to step up this season.

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.