If the summer of 2024 didn’t have enough surprises and drama, the Oilers added more to the mix when they decided to move on from Ryan McLeod. While the trade of McLeod to Buffalo caught most off guard, the return had my attention.

The Oilers traded McLeod, an established 3C in the NHL with 219 games under his belt, for the Sabres first-round pick from 2022, Matthew Savoie. It had my attention for a few reasons. Savoie is an elite-level NHL scoring prospect. Most likely at the wing rather than centre, but no question he has this capability. In addition, he is under full entry-level contract control, starting this year with his entry into professional hockey.

That is a very valuable commodity for any team, but especially the Edmonton Oilers. Finally, they traded an established part of their top nine in exchange for a player that hasn’t yet played a NHL game despite being a Stanley Cup favorite. In short, the trade for Matthew Savoie has a lot of interesting angles to it and will likely have impacts on the Oilers organization for years to come. For today, however, let’s talk about just one of the angles: Matthew Savoie enters the Edmonton Oilers Prospect Countdown as the #1 prospect.

Let’s be clear, Savoie can play with the elite skill on the Edmonton Oilers. He is a high-end catch-and-shoot forward. He can take the pucks sent to him off his stick or skates, get the puck into a shooting position quickly and then release a shot that can beat goalies from distance. He doesn’t need a perfect pass and he doesn’t need much time or space.

He also has excellent vision and makes decisions very quickly to create opportunities for him and his teammates. Watch this play and how Savoie uses his space to open up lanes for a teammate by feigning an attack. He then makes a sublime pass for the finish.

The other element of his game that is encouraging is his footwork. Savoie is in constant motion. He is very hard to mark because he keeps moving constantly sourcing spaces and lanes to make himself available for the puck.

His motion also makes him very effective on the forecheck despite his size. Watch this clip here.

Yes, I did mention that Savoie is smaller. That is the single biggest element to Savoie’s development that requires work. Of course, he cannot get taller, but he can get stronger. He has played a lot of center, but I doubt that is in his future in Edmonton. Indeed, Buffalo didn’t think centre was a good idea because in his AHL games he was at wing. I believe he has the ability to overcome this part of his game because he did show flashes of it in his AHL stint.

More important than the offensive zone is the defensive zone. Here is a clip that illustrates the challenge. His instincts and footwork are good in the defensive zone. The trouble is when he gets into the wall in an exposed position. He needs to get stronger. He needs to be able to show a coach he can be relied upon to get the puck out of his zone. I believe Savoie can do this, but it will take some time in the AHL and it should take some time.

Savoie will be an Oiler. He’s not a play driver at the NHL level, so he will need to play with skilled players. However, his skills that relate to quick plays like his catch and shoot will make him extremely effective. He does not need much time or space to make plays. The Oilers have elite skill on their NHL team that can put him into positions to succeed. This will be invaluable especially given he could do this while on an entry level contract.