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It’s time for the Oilers to elevate Matt Savoie to the top line
Photo credit: © Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
Mar 5, 2026, 11:00 ESTUpdated: Mar 5, 2026, 13:31 EST
The emotions are flowing in Oil Country.
After a comeback victory over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday, which still left an uncertain taste in fans’ mouths, Stan Bowman continued to be active on the trade front. Last night, he added Jason Dickinson and Colton Dach from the Chicago Blackhawks. It was his second trade of the week with Chicago, after acquiring Connor Murphy earlier.
It’s clear the Oilers have a goal in mind when making these deals: defence.
Dickinson is one of the top shutdown third-line centres in the NHL. He takes on tough matchups every night and is another part of the top penalty-killing unit in the NHL.
Dach seems like more of an extra addition to the deal, to get value coming back since they dumped Andrew Mangiapane. He’s still young, 23, so we shall see if he can live up to his potential.
That’s another couple of forwards added to a group that is looking to play a more complete 200-foot game. It’s also a group that has been jumbled around upon their return from the Olympic break. Furthermore, players like Matthew Savoie, Jack Roslovic and Trent Frederic have hit the ground running, giving Knoblauch that extra flexibility.
However, the one constant is the top line of Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. On its day, they’re one of the top trios in the NHL, but have they lost a little lustre recently?
They had a decent evening against Ottawa the other night, playing 11:07 together at 5-on-5, outshooting their opponents 7-4, with scoring chances in their favour, 4-3. No goals, though.
They’ve only outscored their opponents twice in their past 10 games. Those came against the Los Angeles Kings, 1-0, in an 8-1 blowout, and against the Anaheim Ducks in late January. That too was 1-0 in a high-scoring 7-4 home victory.
Over the past 10 games, McDavid, Hyman and Nugent-Hopkins have been outscored 6-8 and outshot 47-55, but are even on scoring chances at 57 aside.
They dominated together earlier in the season, during McDavid’s 20-game point streak. In 23 games and 232:42 minutes together at 5-on-5, the trio outscored their opponent 15 to 8, outshot them 150-105 and outchanced them 153 to 116. Defensively, they were slightly better, with an expected goals against of 10.41 while allowing only eight.
Players go through hot and cold streaks all the time, so it’s no surprise that the Oilers’ top line has dried up. Much of their production is coming on the power play or at 6-on-5, which is fine. Those goals still count the same.
Matt Savoie is red-hot right now. He’s got seven points since returning from the Olympic break; only McDavid, Draisaitl and Bouchard have more than him in the previous four games. Six of those points have come at even strength and with a variety of players. He’s assisted on goals from Draisaitl, Frederic, Emberson, Roslovic and Nugent-Hopkins.
Savoie has found his way, so why not try him with the best player in the world?
The production between Nugent-Hopkins and Savoie, since Jan. 1, isn’t that far off. Nugent-Hopkins has 16 points, eight on the power play, and Savoie has 12 with only one point not at even strength. While most of Savoie’s points have come recently, the rookie is averaging more than six minutes less per night than Nugent-Hopkins.
Savoie adds more speed to the lineup and, while not as experienced as Nugent-Hopkins yet, still brings a high level of intelligence on and off the puck. It’s safe to assume there’s trust from Knoblauch in Savoie, too. He’s played every game and has been a staple on the penalty kill since opening night.
Leon Draisaitl factors heavily into this, given how little it matters who plays alongside him. He performs at a world-class level regardless. You may also recall that he and Nugent-Hopkins had great chemistry before the world was shut down by COVID-19. Along with Jack Roslovic, that should be a fun and productive second line.
With Dickinson now in the mix, it’s likely Knoblauch sticks with his top six the way it is. He’ll want to see whether removing certain matchups can open up the ice for them, creating more opportunities. However, if the Oilers get to Monday, after games against Carolina and Vegas, and don’t see change, then he needs to become more flexible.
And by “flexible,” that doesn’t mean putting Draisaitl with McDavid.
Give Savoie a chance to continue what has already been a strong rookie season. We all know when you get into emergency mode, they’re putting Draisaitl and McDavid together anyway. This change could help prevent that mode from becoming the norm.
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Breaking News
- Meet Connor Murphy: Playing mean, excitement for his first playoffs with fans, and philantrophy
- The Oilers have the ability to make another addition if they choose
- It’s time for the Oilers to elevate Matt Savoie to the top line
- NHL News: Myers and Weegar on the move as trade deadline nears, Sabres working on Parayko deal
- Getting to know Colton Dach and Jason Dickinson, the two players the Oilers acquired from the Blackhawks