C Matthew Savoie - Moose Jaw Warriors, WHL (2022, 9th, BUF, traded to EDM) - PART 2

[GhostfaceWu]

Terrible development curve. His draft position is doing the heavy lifting at this point.

Prospects pushed into roles that stunt their development hf brain trust the gm ruined his development. Alternatively player sent back to Junior too young for AHL puts up 2.00 ppg and has a good playoffs hf brain trust his development was ruined

 

[LeProspector]

Prospects pushed into roles that stunt their development hf brain trust the gm ruined his development. Alternatively player sent back to Junior too young for AHL puts up 2.00 ppg and has a good playoffs hf brain trust his development was ruined

Did I say that? No.

He is the exact same player today as he was when he was drafted. He just got older. Anyone want to prove to me otherwise, be my guest!

 

[Cup or Bust]

Can't stay healthy and no one has hit him yet...Bust written all over him

McLeod is an average 4th liner a team can get for free in free agency every single season. Nice cap dump by the Oilers.

 

[LeProspector]

McLeod is an average 4th liner a team can get for free in free agency every single season. Nice cap dump by the Oilers.

Not at all, McLeod is an excellent penalty killer and defensive player. His IQ isn’t the best but he makes up for it in his motor. Great third line player any team would love to have.

 

[Cup or Bust]

Not at all, McLeod is an excellent penalty killer and defensive player. His IQ isn’t the best but he makes up for it in his motor. Great third line player any team would love to have.

4th liner center that can skate. If he plays bottom 6 all season I doubt he scores 10 goals or 30 points. The only time he showed offense is when he played top 6 on the wing.

 

[GhostfaceWu]

Did I say that? No.

He is the exact same player today as he was when he was drafted. He just got older. Anyone want to prove to me otherwise, be my guest!

What did you expect him to do exactly? Puts up five pts in six games in the AHL before he was forced down and than went 2.00 ppg imnnot sure what your expectations of him were.

 

[Michoulicious]

Sabres management is so incompetent.

Either you admit Savoie sucks and that you dropped the ball and your scouts made a big mistake when you drafted him high in the 1st round just a few years ago.

... or you just suck at trading because you traded a high first rounder for a soft, dime a dozen 3rd liner.

Both don't look good.

 

[Chainshot]

Did I say that? No.

He is the exact same player today as he was when he was drafted. He just got older. Anyone want to prove to me otherwise, be my guest!

Nah, he has grown and been more productive. Edmonton got a fine prospect.

 

[HolyGhost]

5 years from now I think SAvoie will be in Europe. This deal makes no sense to me unless the Sabres think Savoie injuries are worse then is public knowledge

 

[jackp0t]

It just doesnt make sense to use a 9th overall pick to draft Savoie and then trade him for a 3C/4C only 2 years after the pick. Doesnt matter if its Savoie or another prospect, its just not great assest management.

You can usually expect an establish young player with potential, think Kirby Dach/Alexander Romanov or a top 6 player in his late 20s.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

It just doesnt make sense to use a 9th overall pick to draft Savoie and then trade him for a 3C/4C only 2 years after the pick. Doesnt matter if its Savoie or another prospect, its just not great assest management.

You can usually expect an establish young player with potential, think Kirby Dach/Alexander Romanov or a top 6 player in his late 20s.

or you can get a 7th round pick

 

[McFlyingV]

He was over 2 points per game this year in the dub. After going to MJ he wasn’t usually on a line with Firkus and Jagger at ES, he had his own line to run and did very well with it. It was one of the most productive WHL seasons in recent memory. That’s growth.

Yup most productive WHL season after Bedard in the past 23 years (PPG wise).

 

[DearDiary]

Yup most productive WHL season after Bedard in the past 23 years (PPG wise).

Can't just look at ppg when evaluating junior players. He was the 4th best player on Moosejaw

 

[majormajor]

It just doesnt make sense to use a 9th overall pick to draft Savoie and then trade him for a 3C/4C only 2 years after the pick. Doesnt matter if its Savoie or another prospect, its just not great assest management.

You can usually expect an establish young player with potential, think Kirby Dach/Alexander Romanov or a top 6 player in his late 20s.

I agree, in retrospect he wasn't 9th OA material. I don't think that was your point but that's what I'm drawing from this.

Can't just look at ppg when evaluating junior players. He was the 4th best player on Moosejaw

Mateychuk and Firkus were certainly much more impactful players in the playoffs. Savoie hasn't been that impressive to watch despite all the points.

 

[McFlyingV]

Can't just look at ppg when evaluating junior players. He was the 4th best player on Moosejaw

Of course, but its still something noteworthy.

The nice thing about the Oilers picking him up is he doesn't ever have to be "the guy". He's going to have the ability to be a complementary player when he breaks in, and he'll be able to play wing with a lot less responsibility and sheltered minutes early on. Wouldn't be surprised to see RNH move back to centre to mentor this kid and take some of the heavy lifting off him while forming a scoring 3rd line. The top 6 will do its thing with Holloway elevated and the Henrique line will take all the hard shutdown match ups.

Pretty much a perfect situation for the kid to come into. Might need some time in Bake, but could be sheltered at the NHL level too to play to his strengths.

 

[Peasy]

Oiler fans setting themselves up for disappointment if they expect him in the NHL next year

 

[Took a pill in Sbisa]

Oiler fans setting themselves up for disappointment if they expect him in the NHL next year

Have you seen the Oilers forward depth? He's like the 15th forward. Oilers fans will be stoked if he doesn't play a game next year because it means the team was able to stay healthy.

 

[McFlyingV]

Oiler fans setting themselves up for disappointment if they expect him in the NHL next year

At the same time the Oilers are the team who could best integrate a highly skilled rookie by giving him a defensively responsibly top 6 centre, another top 6 quality winger, while playing 3rd line minutes with heavy offensive zone starts against low quality competition, and with minimal defensive responsibility.

 

[jackp0t]

He gets the same treatment as Shane Wright because they both slightly fell off compared to where they were at 16 years old, which was top line prospect and potential franchise player. They also both had a very average/bad World junior championship which is where most people actually watched them.

There is like 100 players in a top 6 right now that were worst than Savoie at his age, so give the kid a break, he's clearly on the right path to play an offensive role.

 

[TheSecondSeason]

This guy was outperforming Bedard till about 14. Then disputes, injuries and politics messed with him getting exceptional status at 15. He fell 2 years behind Bedard on the development scale. His skating, passing, and shooting are all elite. His size is the only detriment. It won't matter, his hockey IQ is already off the charts. Future 100 point scorer for his hometown team. A dream for this kid.

 

[Soundwave]

No point in getting this worked up over all this. Lets see how he does at camp and/or the AHL in a wider sample size.

Going to a team that has McDavid and Draisaitl certainly can't hurt an offensive minded player.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

When id watch Yager this dude looked like he’d be better off as a solid shoot first winger in the league. Rather than center, play driver. But he was a good passer on the PP.

 

[McFlyingV]

When id watch Yager this dude looked like he’d be better off as a solid shoot first winger in the league. Rather than center, play driver. But he was a good passer on the PP.

I think that is ultimately what he'll become in Edmonton. A complementary scoring winger.

 

[5 14 6 1]

Not at all, McLeod is an excellent penalty killer and defensive player. His IQ isn’t the best but he makes up for it in his motor. Great third line player any team would love to have.

His motor? Have you watched McLeod forecheck or try to exit pucks from the wall in the d zone? Pretend to block shots? He is an elite skater with a decent stick

I think that is ultimately what he'll become in Edmonton. A complementary scoring winger.

Yup. All he needs to be is a guy who can score 50+ points on a line with McDrai while he is on ELC. Far less pressure than being viewed as a 9th overall franchise saver in Buff

 

[majormajor]

This guy was outperforming Bedard till about 14. Then disputes, injuries and politics messed with him getting exceptional status at 15. He fell 2 years behind Bedard on the development scale. His skating, passing, and shooting are all elite. His size is the only detriment. It won't matter, his hockey IQ is already off the charts. Future 100 point scorer for his hometown team. A dream for this kid.

Exceptional status was not going to change the trajectory for Savoie. Prospect development largely happens outside of what games a player is playing in. Have a look at Wyatt Johnston and Pavel Mintyukov, who emerged as different players after the pandemic season, without playing games. This is just a low trajectory player who hasn't made rapid progress. That happens often. I don't care what they did when they were 14. Savoie's hockey IQ and tools are all good and he's very well rounded offensively, but for a 5'9 player I think he is missing that elite something to make him pop. Regardless, playing as a supporting winger in Edmonton would be fantastic for him and I like the trade for the Oilers.

Also if that's your scouting report for Savoie, I'd love to see what you say for Mateychuk and Firkus.