McLeod is RFA, not UFA when his deal ends.
Edit - agree on the rest, the Oilers needed to shuffle cap space and McLeod was the choice.
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Confirmed Trade: [BUF/EDM] Ryan McLeod and Tyler Tullio for Matt Savoie
- Thread starter MMC
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McLeod is RFA, not UFA when his deal ends.
Edit - agree on the rest, the Oilers needed to shuffle cap space and McLeod was the choice.
McDNicks17
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It'll be interesting to see if McLeod is one of those guys that scares his team away from a QO because of possible arbitration.
Dubi Doo
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Buffalo needed a player like him. Seems like a fair trade for both. I'm reminded a bit of when Drury arrived in Buffalo. Seems like a great leader on the ice, is trusted in all situations, and delivers. If McLeod is taking the next step in his young career, then Buffalo is very lucky. Shutdown Cs with speed that can produce are extremely valuable.
All that said, Savoie could become a Briere type. He's the bag of magic beans here. Who knows what he'll become, but the potential is enticing. Still, posters overreacted to this trade. NHL Cs just entering their prime are not a cheap asset to acquire, and you're seeing how important a player like that is to a young team like Buffalo. Both teams are probably happy with what they got.
I don't really care much about Savoie or McLeod to be honest. The Oilers have more important players and goals to focus on.. McLeod was not very good on a Cup contender so I am happy to continue arguing how badly he played for the Oilers in the playoffs. It's unfortunate he wasn't better as an Oiler but it is what it is.
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Dubi Doo
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Well, one man's trash is another man's treasure I suppose, and we love him here in Buffalo. He's pretty clearly hitting another level, which isn't uncommon for a player his age playing the position he does + getting an expanded role on a young team. His past hiccups don't hold any weight to me.
Well I never said he was trash, he just didn't play well in the playoffs, but the Oilers rightly or wrongly don't have the luxury of being as patient as maybe another team and probably cannot offer the same opportunity as another team as well. I would be pretty disappointed with the trade if McLeod played a bit better and was a more consistent player on the Oilers.
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ManofSteel55
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I fully expect the Oilers to use Savoie as trade bait this year, especially with no 1st rounder this year. It seems to me that this trade was the Oilers dumping salary for the best futures asset they could get, and when they couldn't get a 1st (understandably), they took a prospect with really high upside.
I'm glad McLeod is working out for Buffalo. When he was on his game, I really liked him, and he seems like a nice guy. There were just way too many periods when he disappeared for long stretches, and when it happened for the entire playoff run that was the last straw. I'm really happy that he is hitting another level in Buffalo. I expect he never would have in Edmonton.
Dubi Doo
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His value has dropped from a 2022 #9 pick. His AHL numbers look okay for a kid about to turn 21 but he hasn't elevated. He has mid to late first-round value now. The upside is somewhat there but will continue to fade as he looks more average. He's an NHL player but maybe third liner.
No worries. I am not trying to bash McLeod just because he is no longer on the Oilers. I was pretty critical of McLeod a lot last season, especially in the playoffs, more disappointed because the Oilers needed him to fill an important role for them, it was not due to his effort. Obviously he must be playing fairly well for the Sabres, the stats are there. For the most part even though I was not happy with his overall performance last season I actually argued against trading him during the season mostly due to not expecting much in return for him. It's possible they still did not get much in return for him although that could happen with any trade for draft picks or prospects,
KeyserSoze81
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He reminds me of where Peyton Krebs was at the time of the Eichel trade. Highly talented forward drafted high, battled injuries, and somewhat questionable development curve. There is still a lot of upside, but the value is lagging.
I watched Abbotsford vs Bakersfield last night. Savoi looks overmatched in the AHL. He had some burst in transition play but thats about it. Totally useless once Bakersfield gained the blue line and played O zone hockey. The things he was doing in the NHL are not translating in the AHL level because guys are just bigger and better skaters and know how to take angles. It doesnt look like Savoi developed any other part of his offensive game.
Absolutely lost as to why Edmonton even made this trade.
Mcleod looks like a legit valuable big Centre than skate like the wind and kill penalties.
Make this trade make sense to me.
If this is the case, then Oilers should definitely flip Savoie immediately. I'm not a scout and even i can see the flaws and holes in his game and have a hard time picturing him as an NHLer at this point.
If Mcleod was a salary dump , theres no way Savoie is the best return they can get for him. That was robbery
Absolutely lost as to why Edmonton even made this trade.
Mcleod looks like a legit valuable big Centre than skate like the wind and kill penalties.
Make this trade make sense to me.
If this is the case, then Oilers should definitely flip Savoie immediately. I'm not a scout and even i can see the flaws and holes in his game and have a hard time picturing him as an NHLer at this point.
If Mcleod was a salary dump , theres no way Savoie is the best return they can get for him. That was robbery
Based on his play last season, the best I would have offered for him was a 2nd rounder, especially for how bad he was in the playoffs. He went long stretches during the season being very ineffective and was even worse in the playoffs, if the Oilers had any depth he would have been scratched at certain points during the playoffs. What he might be doing this season never helped the Oilers last year unfortunately.
TheNumber4
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There's a difference between ineffective and unproductive. He was unproductive for long stretches including the playoffs, but he was always effective as a responsible 2 way Center.
To properly fill a specific role on a team you need to have a certain level of productivity to be considered an effective player and unfortunately for the Oilers his level of effectiveness wasn't good enough to adequately fill a strong role on the team. It certainly wasn't due to a lack of having a good skillset though. He just wasn't able to gain any consistency at all for the Oilers for whatever reason. Maybe as he ages it is something he will improve. So far so good this season.
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Lemmiwinks
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Bank Shot
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Everyone jumping on a chance to bash the Oilers. Par for the course.
I'm happy for McLeod but he struggled with playoff intensity. He's still young enough to potentially figure it out, but it was a red flag on his scouting report predraft and he still hasn't found the grit required to compete come playoff time.
Maybe he'll get there or maybe that's just who he is. Lots of players just kind of remain the same player throughout their careers.
SeanMoneyHands
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Im shocked that Savoie hasn't been brought up yet. You can't get any worse for wingers when you have Brown and Podkolzin on the wings of the leagues highest paid player 
And because of the weaker depth this year for the Oilers, they don't have the luxury of playing Henrique on the wing in the top 6 like they did last year.
And because of the weaker depth this year for the Oilers, they don't have the luxury of playing Henrique on the wing in the top 6 like they did last year.
archangel2
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Until Savoie plays? This is going down as a massive blunder but the oilers. Deal with it. They had a horrible, mismanaged off season where they did nearly EVERYTHING wrong.
This trade, the signings of Henrique, Arvisson and Skinner and losing two 1st rounders for a 2nd and 4th? Trading the 2025 1st for the 32nd pick in the 2024 draft? That alone may go down as the stupidest trade this season. Oilers are a non playoff team as of today and nearly every player who left is having a good season.
This trade is icing on the cake. Oilers will need to hit the UFA market to sign D men who can actually play in the NHL. But with Bouchard's massive contract coming up? Will the have the money?
Mcleod has 6 goals and 6 assists for 12 pts. On the oilers now? That ties him for 3rd one the team in goals and 4th for pts. That is how bad the oilers have been this year.
This is not oiler bashing for nothing. This is oiler bashing because they have screwed up badly and there looks to be no change in sight! They are not going to have the money to do anything
