Confirmed Trade: [BUF/EDM] Ryan McLeod and Tyler Tullio for Matt Savoie

[Fatass]

He is a tall, skinny kid. I would guess he only weighs around 170-180.

He’s listed at 207. He’s a big boy with a lot of traditional 2C talents. IMO the Oilers were moving off cap.

 

[Lacaar]

Isn’t McLeod 210 as well? He’s a pretty solidly built guy who can push the play. Other than for cap reasons it’s a trade where the Oilers gave up a lot.

He may be but If I had to wager I'd bet on him being more around 190. He's around the same height and weight as McDavid, hence why I sometimes mistaken him for McDavid.

He's a fun player to watch when he rushes the puck and makes the occasional nice play. I don't think you'll ever see much offense from him because I don't think he reads the play and his teammates well offensively. He just lacks those instincts.

Defensively he just needs to be involved in the "guts" of the game. That's where Buffalo has the potential is to get some real great value from this trade. He doesn't have to go around hitting. He needs to learn a bit better anticipation and win those battles and read the ice and get involved. Then you'll have a Danault type player which hey is pretty damn good.

 

[McDNicks17]

You may want to look at Toi/gm. Total time is distorted by the fact that McLeod played more games as the Oilers rotated out guys like Brown and Ryan. McLeod had a bigger role 5 vs 5 so he stayed on the roster.

The only thing you have going for you in questioning @McDNicks17 claim is the possibility that he may have been more important than Ryan. But there is no question that Nuge, Janmark and Brown were the guys driving the PK in the playoffs and much of the regular season. I say maybe because it is definitely not obvious that McLeod over Ryan is the case. McLeod is fine on the pk but he is certainly replaceable.

I’d actually have Henrique as the #4 over Ryan.

He played a bit less than McLeod, but his results are closer to Brown/Janmark’s in creating shorthanded chances.

 

[McDNicks17]

Fifth best but he had more time on the PK than every forward except for two of them? Sounds like a stupid coach.

First you say the most ice time now it’s third most.

Try one more time and you might get the right number haha.

 

[Jumptheshark]

The oilers needed to move cap and take no money back and that is what they did. The fact they got a guy back who becomes their top prospect right away is a bonus. Mcleod will get into the Sabres roster right away and will help them. As long as they do not ask him to do too much.

McLeod is not a scorer or a shutdown FWD but he is good in his own zone and in transition.

 

[Fourier]

I’d actually have Henrique as the #4 over Ryan.

He played a bit less than McLeod, but his results are closer to Brown/Janmark’s in creating shorthanded chances.

Yah, going forward I suspect you are right, My comments were more to do with last year.

McLeod's speed would probably have kept him on the pk in part to give guys like Nuge and Henrique a bit of a breather as both will probably play a lot. But as you say in terms actual importance he would not be at the top of pack.

 

[Fourier]

He’s listed at 207. He’s a big boy with a lot of traditional 2C talents. IMO the Oilers were moving off cap.

Elite Prospects has him at 207lbs while other sites have him at under 190lbs including on NHL.com. I would have gone with the other sites but I notice that he was listed at the combine at 205lbs so I suspect the 207lbs may well be correct. Honestly that surprises me. I never think of him being that heavy, perhaps because while he is clearly tall, he does not play a heavy game.

As far as the 2C talent, its never been at all obvious as an Oiler. I think most of us see his realistic upside based on play to date as being more of a 2/3 winger or a mid-tier 3C. He's never shown the finish or the playmaking/awareness that you want in a 2C and that may even keep him from being more than an average 3C. It's his wheels that stand out. When he does something that makes you pay attention it is almost always due to his speed. Of course it is always possible that he finds another level.

The Oiler board is often very critical of any trade. This is in part due to years of bad moves. I don't think I saw one poster on the board who thought this was not a big plus for Jackson. McLeod was always a possible cap move, and next year was probably gone for sure but the return was way more than anyone expected.

 

[crowi]

Foegele had this quality too. I hope with our changes this summer, that we didn't get too slow and sacrifice too many of our speedy players.

Good call. I remember when Foegele scored a SHG in SCF, I thought that was 97, but it was 37. He has a motor and speed.

 

[dj Mahoney]

Sabre's moves put them in the playoff's imo.

 

[Hasekperreault23]

He's definitely not 210. He's tall but not really all that solidly built for a guy who is 6'3''. Even so the issue is that so far he has not used that size at all. I'd also not really say that he pushes the play. He was probably going to be the Oilers #4C this year. In that roll he was a luxury.

I am probably one of the bigger McLeod supporters from the Oiler board and I would be happy to see him succeed in Buffalo. Seems like a really good kid who is always smiling. But honestly I'd make this trade everyday. Even if Savoie does not turn out the trade would still be the right move. It's kind of like trading a third round pick for a second. If the guy you pick with the second busts it does not mean that it was the wrong move.

I love henrique but he is almost done.Mcleod is just 24 still room to grow.Oiler fans say they like him but wanted him off the team lol.Never heard nothing like that before trade.Its a trade that Buffalo needed to make to get quicker and they traded a player they had a surplus of.I liked Savoie but he was redundant with Benson Kulich Rosen Helenius

 

[ManofSteel55]

He’s listed at 207. He’s a big boy with a lot of traditional 2C talents. IMO the Oilers were moving off cap.

If he's 207, he needs to learn to use his size better. He plays more like a 180-190 pounder.

 

[Fourier]

I love henrique but he is almost done.Mcleod is just 24 still room to grow.Oiler fans say they like him but wanted him off the team lol.Never heard nothing like that before trade.Its a trade that Buffalo needed to make to get quicker and they traded a player they had a surplus of.I liked Savoie but he was redundant with Benson Kulich Rosen Helenius

The Oiler's cap situation meant that one of McLeod, Ceci or Kulak pretty much had to go unless it was clear that Kane was going on LTIR. Ceci is probably the guy most would have chosen but for an upgrade and that was unrealistic with no cap space.

When not injured, Henrique significantly outplayed McLeod. I doubt you would find anyone who follows the team on here thinking that McLeod would play above Henrique this year. If the Oilers had a lot of space McLeod would have been fine as a #4C but they don't. And next year when Draisaitl and Bouchard's deal kick in McLeod's deal is up so he was pretty much for sure going to price himself off the team. So really regardless of his age McLeod was probably on borrowed time with the Oilers.

Not all trades are wins for one side but not the other. It is possible that this deal works out for both teams, for neither, or for one or the other. In fact, I hope McLeod works well for the Sabres. I've said this before but aside from the cap advantages from the Oiler's perspective this deal is kind of like trading a 3rd for a second. It may well turn out that the guy drafted with the third ends up a better player. That does not mean it was not a smart deal. The reality is that there is a greater chance of Savoie being a long term significant contributor to teh Oilers than McLeod. The Sabres may well be in the opposite circumstance. That's fine. Such things make for the possibility of good hockey trades.

 

[ManofSteel55]

I love henrique but he is almost done.Mcleod is just 24 still room to grow.Oiler fans say they like him but wanted him off the team lol.Never heard nothing like that before trade.Its a trade that Buffalo needed to make to get quicker and they traded a player they had a surplus of.I liked Savoie but he was redundant with Benson Kulich Rosen Helenius

Henrique is older, but he still looks to have a few years left. His time as a top line forward look over, but he can still be valuable from the third line. Henrique outperformed McLeod significantly.

As an Oiler fan, we did like McLeod. He has some things that make him frustrating to watch though. If he eliminates those flaws from his game he will be very good in Buffalo.

 

[Nikolajs Sillers]

Still going strong

 

[Dempsey]

Just noticed this thread and couldn't believe it's still active. So I click it and it makes sense to me now...non-Oilers fans are here to convince us that McLeod is way better than we think. Just like they did when we traded Ethan Bear and Caleb Jones. Tell us more about players who we watched play nearly every game of their career.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

He’s listed at 207. He’s a big boy with a lot of traditional 2C talents. IMO the Oilers were moving off cap.

More likely to be a 2LW than a 2C.

 

[joestevens29]

I love henrique but he is almost done.Mcleod is just 24 still room to grow.Oiler fans say they like him but wanted him off the team lol.Never heard nothing like that before trade.Its a trade that Buffalo needed to make to get quicker and they traded a player they had a surplus of.I liked Savoie but he was redundant with Benson Kulich Rosen Helenius

I mean McLeod himself is quite a loveable person, but the player always leaves you wanting more.

Just doesn't have what it takes to be on a contender unless it was as a 4th liner and he made too much money for that.

His biggest knock since junior was he shys away from contact. Now earlier in 2024 it was being talked about on local radio and the guest had said his good friend scouted him a lot in junior and the knock was he goes to the outside far too much instead of driving the net, so why would that change in the NHL. Literally a week later McLeod did start going to the tough areas and looked great, but it lasted a week and just wasn't there nearly enough when the games mattered.

His not a horrible pickup if you are trying to make that next step of getting to the playoffs, but if that next step is going far in the playoffs he just doesn't have it in him.

Like many others if his contract was lower than contending teams would be all over the guy, but at 2.1mil that's too much for a contending team.

 

[Cup or Bust]

Just noticed this thread and couldn't believe it's still active. So I click it and it makes sense to me now...non-Oilers fans are here to convince us that McLeod is way better than we think. Just like they did when we traded Ethan Bear and Caleb Jones. Tell us more about players who we watched play nearly every game of their career.

I like McLeod but it reminds me of exactly what Carolina fans were saying almost word for word when they acquired Puljujarvi. They thought they were getting some good defensive forward that would score 30-40 points in the bottom 6. 80-90% of the time his game is at the level of a 4th liner. You might get 3rd line level play out of him 10%-20% of the time, that is why the Oilers needed to replace him as their third line center. Far too inconsistent. I didn't want the Oilers to trade McLeod because I thought he was not worth much in a trade and at least he could be a good 4th line center. I wouldn't have imagined in a 100 years a team would be willing to trade a guy drafted in the top ten 2 years ago for him. Even if Savoie never plays an NHL game for the Oilers, I would make that trade 100 times out of a 100. Anytime you can trade a questionable 3rd liner for a top 10 pick, you do it every time. Maybe McLeod improves his consistency, he is a really good skater so he could turn out to be a decent player still.

 

[HogtownSabresfan]

Sabre's moves put them in the playoff's imo.

AHL or NHL?

 

[TageGod]

There is EDM arguments about Mcleod, Sabres arguments about Savoie, and arguments about the trade value all in one.

 

[Satanphonehome]

Not to put too much emphasis on Corey Pronman’s ranking, but this trade makes a whole lot more sense in the context of the U23 rankings he put out in the Athletic this morning.

Ryan McLeod for the 147th-ranked player fits a lot better than McLeod for the top-20ish level prospect some Sabres and Oiler fans were touting Savoie to be.

Not saying it’s the correct valuation, just that if it is, it puts the deal in a much different context.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5713250/2024/09/03/nhl-players-prospects-under-23-bedard-stutzle-celebrini/

 

[Captain Mountain]

Not to put too much emphasis on Corey Pronman’s ranking, but this trade makes a whole lot more sense in the context of the U23 rankings he put out in the Athletic this morning.

Ryan McLeod for the 147th-ranked player fits a lot better than McLeod for the top-20ish level prospect some Sabres and Oiler fans were touting Savoie to be.

Not saying it’s the correct valuation, just that if it is, it puts the deal in a much different context.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5713250/2024/09/03/nhl-players-prospects-under-23-bedard-stutzle-celebrini/

I think Savoie got overrated on these boards, but lets not use Pronman's list as any sort of evidence. Even if you focus on specific team lists, there are some real strange assessments.

 

[ManofSteel55]

Elite Prospects has him at 207lbs while other sites have him at under 190lbs including on NHL.com. I would have gone with the other sites but I notice that he was listed at the combine at 205lbs so I suspect the 207lbs may well be correct. Honestly that surprises me. I never think of him being that heavy, perhaps because while he is clearly tall, he does not play a heavy game.

As far as the 2C talent, its never been at all obvious as an Oiler. I think most of us see his realistic upside based on play to date as being more of a 2/3 winger or a mid-tier 3C. He's never shown the finish or the playmaking/awareness that you want in a 2C and that may even keep him from being more than an average 3C. It's his wheels that stand out. When he does something that makes you pay attention it is almost always due to his speed. Of course it is always possible that he finds another level.

The Oiler board is often very critical of any trade. This is in part due to years of bad moves. I don't think I saw one poster on the board who thought this was not a big plus for Jackson. McLeod was always a possible cap move, and next year was probably gone for sure but the return was way more than anyone expected.

I would be shocked if the 207 is correct. He gets pushed around an awful lot for a 200 lb man. I wouldn't be shocked if the 190 was a bit of an exaggeration.

I think Savoie got overrated on these boards, but lets not use Pronman's list as any sort of evidence. Even if you focus on specific team lists, there are some real strange assessments.

Agreed. Savoie's stock isn't what many fans thought it was, but he's still a very good prospect. Pronman...I don't know, he'w out there sometimes, ha ha.

 

[Zman5778]

I think Savoie got overrated on these boards, but lets not use Pronman's list as any sort of evidence. Even if you focus on specific team lists, there are some real strange assessments.

Years ago.....if one could see through his pro-small-skater bias......his rankings often made sense and were coherent.

But now? Holy hell is he awful when it comes to rankings. The example I used on the Sabres board is Savoie's teammate -- Zach Benson. Pronman has basically nothing bad to say about him.....ranks his compete as high-end and his shot, puck skills and sense all above average.....and then puts him 62 for god only knows what reason.


And now let's look at Savoie. Above average in: skating, hockey sense, compete and shot. He mentions "skill" in Savoie's writeup twice in a positive light....then ranks his skill as average. And he's ranked 143? GTFOH with that crap.

Pronman is a shell of himself and becoming more of a joke with each ranking he posts.

 

[Captain Mountain]

Years ago.....if one could see through his pro-small-skater bias......his rankings often made sense and were coherent.

But now? Holy hell is he awful when it comes to rankings. The example I used on the Sabres board is Savoie's teammate -- Zach Benson. Pronman has basically nothing bad to say about him.....ranks his compete as high-end and his shot, puck skills and sense all above average.....and then puts him 62 for god only knows what reason.


And now let's look at Savoie. Above average in: skating, hockey sense, compete and shot. He mentions "skill" in Savoie's writeup twice in a positive light....then ranks his skill as average. And he's ranked 143? GTFOH with that crap.

Pronman is a shell of himself and becoming more of a joke with each ranking he posts.

I'm not even going to go that far, but it feels like he's over-adjusted from a skill bias that probably overestimated some undersized guys to generally overrating size, skating (specifically skating speed) and "compete" and underestimating hockey sense/hockey IQ.