In the wake of a busy 2024 free agent frenzy, the Edmonton Oilers made a bold move, trading Ryan McLeod to the Buffalo Sabres for Matt Savoie.

McLeod had already proven himself in the NHL, while Savoie only had one NHL game under his belt. As a former ninth overall pick, it was Savoie’s long-term potential that intrigued the Oilers. In his first season in the organization, he produced 54 points in 66 AHL games and earned a four-game cup of coffee with the big club.

Over in Buffalo, McLeod broke out, setting career highs in goals, assists, and points, while earning his way into the Sabres’ top six. The pressure was on for Savoie to deliver in 2025-26.

His rookie season got off to a rocky start, especially on the scoresheet. Savoie had just two goals and five points in his first 23 games, and the Oilers were outscored 16-8 in his five-on-five minutes. It didn’t help that he was deployed in the bottom six among a struggling group of depth forwards. With that said, it’s not the first time Savoie has taken time to adjust to a jump up in competition.

In his first season in the AHL, Savoie only produced 12 points in his first 22 games. It took him a couple of months to find his way, but he produced nearly a point per game the rest of the season. Eventually, he got up to speed, and his talent took over.

Once again, Savoie gradually found his footing over the course of his first NHL season. After the Olympic break, Kris Knoblauch deployed him in the top-six, and he blossomed, producing at a 65-point pace over the final 24 games.

For a small player, Savoie had a knack for getting to the inside and generating shots in the inner slot. It was perhaps the most consistent aspect of his game all season. Even during his worst struggles in those first 23 games, Savoie ranked second on the team in individual expected goals. He just couldn’t finish. As Savoie’s confidence grew, so did his ability to beat NHL goalies, and his shooting percentage rose by nearly two per cent after the Olympic break. In the last game of the regular season, he exploded for a first-period hat trick.

Watching Savoie’s offensive game take flight elicited a collective sigh of relief among Oiler fans who watched McLeod achieve back-to-back 50-point seasons in Buffalo. Offence wasn’t all that he brought to the table, though — he played a feature role on the penalty kill all season long.

Savoie’s speed made him a disruptive penalty killer, occasionally leading to dangerous shorthanded rushes. He was the only player not named McDavid or Draisaitl to score for the Oilers shorthanded this season. Savoie led all Edmonton forwards in penalty kill time on ice, with nearly 90 minutes played.

In the playoffs, the momentum that Savoie built during the stretch run came to a halt. The top line had a tough start to the series, and he quickly found himself back down on the third line. In six playoff games, he produced just one assist.

As a small forward, there’s been a fair bit of skepticism about whether Savoie’s game can translate to the more rugged style of hockey in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

I do not share those concerns.

According to The Hockey PDOcast’s Dimitri Filipovich, Savoie ranked fourth on the Oilers in scoring chances in the playoffs and third in scoring chance contributions. It’s not as if he wasn’t generating anything — he just didn’t finish at the same clip. Compare that to McLeod, who has five consecutive rough playoff runs under his belt, and the concern meter is firmly on the low end for Savoie.

He eventually broke through against AHL competition. He eventually broke through against NHL competition. He has it in him to find a way to break through against playoff competition.

And the team will need him to.

As Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman age out, Savoie is the face of the youth movement on Edmonton’s forward group. He’s one of the keys to extending the Oilers’ championship window.

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