It’s funny because there’s quite a few around here who thought McLeod had no value and wanted to dump him. He’s possesses a lot of good traits that NHL teams value and he will be missed. But you can find those traits a lot easier then the type of skill and smarts that Savoie has in spades. His size and injuries are definitely a concern but I think it’s a good bet that he’s smart enough to overcome his size. Kid is probably going to be motivated because there’s a real opportunity for a player of his skill to join a strong team as a very cheap option, in his hometown no less. Hopefully he watches a guy like Arvidsson a lot.
This is such a proactive trade, moving out a player who hurts to lose but is replaceable and is going to get more expensive after next year and getting a guy that is a good bet to give you at least a couple cheap productive years over the next 2-4 years and probably retain decent value in that time.