The summer of Jeff Jackson continues as Edmonton Oilers traded forward Ryan McLeod and prospect Ty Tullio to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Matthew Savoie, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Freidman reported Friday.
McLeod, 24, was drafted by the Oilers in the second round of the 2018 draft, breaking into the NHL in the 2021-22 season. He’s appeared in 219 games with the team over the last four seasons, scoring 32 goals and 75 points.
Savoie, 20, meanwhile, is a native of St. Albert, Alta. and was drafted by the Sabres ninth overall in the 2022 draft.
Believe Matt Savoie is return. Ty Tullio also going to Sabres https://t.co/71fBCuyLFf
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 5, 2024
Savoie has spent each of the last two seasons in the Western Hockey League, spliting time between the Winnipeg Ice/Wenatchee Wild and the Moose Jaw Warriors, the latter of whom acquired him partway through this past season. With the Warriors, he scored 19 goals and 47 points in 23 games helping them punch their ticket to the playoffs.
There, Savoie kept producing, scoring 10 goals and 24 points in 19 games as the Warriors won the WHL championship and a berth into the Memorial Cup, where he added a goal and four points in four games.
Savoie has been considered to be one of the top prospects in the NHL, Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis wrote ahead of last season.
The first thing that stands out when watching Savoie is his playmaking. He plays the game at a high pace, and that means making decisions on the fly under pressure. When the game’s moving slowly around him, he uses his patience to make the right pass at the right time. For someone who touches the puck as often as Savoie does, we don’t see him giving it up often or sending it to someone who isn’t ready. When Savoie makes a pass, he does it with a purpose. But the young center can also destroy you with his quick hands and flashy moves, especially in 1-on-1 breakaway situations.
Also included in the deal is Ty Tullio, a 22-year-old forward the Oilers drafted in the fifth round of the 2020 draft. He’s spent the last two seasons with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, scoring 22 goals and 47 points in 117 games.
Prior to the trade, the Oilers had been over the NHL’s salary cap by $2.45-million, according to PuckPedia. McLeod was entering the second season of a two-year deal that saw him earn $2.1-million. Savoie, meanwhile, is entering the first year of his entry-level contract and is slated to turn pro this season.
Now, according to PuckPedia, the Oilers are $345,000 over the cap, and could become cap-compliant by sending down players, or using the long-term injured reserve.
The deal clears up some salary cap space for the Oilers, who still have to sign restricted free agents Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg, but it’s also a move that will help supplement the team for years to come. Given Savoie is one of the top prospects in the game, “on the path to NHL stardom,” Ellis wrote, and should figure to play in the NHL sooner rather than later.
Savoie doesn’t have much size to his frame at 5’10”, 179 lbs., but in today’s NHL that isn’t much concern — doubly so considering how excellent of a prospect he is.
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.
