Confirmed with Link: [EDM/BUF] McLeod + Tullio for Matt Savoie

[AddyTheWrath]

I would say that if Savoie goes to the AHL and lights it up as a 1C, that would be a massive trade chip at the deadline as well. Something like him and a cap dump for a Doughty.

I think Savoie’s ELC makes him far too valuable for us to trade

 

[Gunnersaurus Rex]

I laughed when I see the comments about McLeods size. Then I looked it up and he's listed as 6'3". I would have bet my house that he was under 6'. I guess that might be a prefect reflection of how he plays. One of the softest players we've had here. Glad he's gone.
JJ is a beast !!

 

[Tobias Kahun]

I laughed when I see the comments about McLeods size. Then I looked it up and he's listed as 6'3". I would have bet my house that he was under 6'. I guess that might be a prefect reflection of how he plays. One of the softest players we've had here. Glad he's gone.
JJ is a beast !!

Hes a big guy, you would never notice it on the ice.

If you took his size and Yamamoto's heart/fight and put it together.

You'd have a real good hockey player.

McLeod would lose puck battles against novice players.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

Hes a big guy, you would never notice it on the ice.

If you took his size and Yamamoto's heart/fight and put it together.

You'd have a real good hockey player.

McLeod would lose puck battles against novice players.

Perfect example of "fight in the dog". McLeod has never had it. If he had Yamamoto's size he would've never made the NHL.

 

[Shizuka]

Perfect example of "fight in the dog". McLeod has never had it. If he had Yamamoto's size he would've never made the NHL.

Yamamoto played with heart. Never shied away from contact, which probably hurt him somewhat as I remember him getting blown up at least a couple of times. But he was still relentless on puck pursuit, hounding guys all over the ice. I'll never badmouth the guy because in spite of his size he still played like that; nothing but respect for someone of his stature playing as hard as he does.

Which is what made it so galling for me to watch someone like Mcleod, who bailed all the damn time, and would do fly by stick waving instead of actual puck pursuit.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

Yamamoto played with heart. Never shied away from contact, which probably hurt him somewhat as I remember him getting blown up at least a couple of times. But he was still relentless on puck pursuit, hounding guys all over the ice. I'll never badmouth the guy because in spite of his size he still played like that; nothing but respect for someone of his stature playing as hard as he does.

Which is what made it so galling for me to watch someone like Mcleod, who bailed all the damn time, and would do fly by stick waving instead of actual puck pursuit.

Yamamoto worked his bag off, I will never take that away from him. Injuries really took a toll on him.

 

[McDoused]

Yamamoto played with heart. Never shied away from contact, which probably hurt him somewhat as I remember him getting blown up at least a couple of times. But he was still relentless on puck pursuit, hounding guys all over the ice. I'll never badmouth the guy because in spite of his size he still played like that; nothing but respect for someone of his stature playing as hard as he does.

Which is what made it so galling for me to watch someone like Mcleod, who bailed all the damn time, and would do fly by stick waving instead of actual puck pursuit.

Hes available. We could sign him for league minimum.

 

[CupofOil]

I think Savoie’s ELC makes him far too valuable for us to trade

And trading him for ancient Doughty would be a horrendous waste of a premium asset. If you trade Savoie if he has a big year, it's for a young cost controlled Dman with top pairing upside or something along those lines. The issue with that is that they'd have to pay this new player big bucks on top of the new Bouchard contract and the Nurse contract on the books and Ekholm's big contract.

Bottom line? I think you see it through with Savoie through the ELC then in 3 years, you work the salary structure to see how he fits in thereafter. He's still an RFA for 4 years after that so he's team controlled for a long time. If he pans out, he's a core guy going forward to balance out the aging guys to keep the competitive window open. Still can't believe JJ pulled this one off. It makes the season beyond just the Oilers so much more exciting, Bakersfield will be must watch and also the London Knights with O'Reilly. Thank you JJ

 

[Bryanbryoil]

Hes available. We could sign him for league minimum.

I would, then if he sucks send him to Bako.

 

[guymez]

Savoie has lit up every level he has played at including the AHL . I highly doubt he won't be able to do it at the next level as well

Here's hoping.

 

[tiger_80]

This trade reminds me in some ways of the 1997 deal for Roman Hamrlik.

The Oilers were struggling to make the playoffs so Sather dealt 2 high profile first round picks (both top 6 selections in the draft) -- Jason Bonsignore and Steve Kelley to Tampa Bay for Roman Hamrlik.

The immediate response by Oiler fans said that the Oilers had fleeced Phil Esposito because it was obvious that neither Bonsignore or Kelly would ever play a substantial number of games in the NHL.

The assumption was right. Hamrlik was rejuvenated in Edmonton and the Oilers turned their season around and made the playoffs in that season and the the 2 subsequent seasons. The 2 picks going the other way were complete busts.

This time a high profile 1st round pick comes the Oiler's way and an established player goes out the door. I think Savoie will be a better player than either Bonsignore or Kelly but of course there is no way to be sure of this until he gets his audition in the NHL.

Regardless---one of the highest profile trades in Oiler history and will be discussed for many years to come.

He's about the size of Yamamoto. I guess the latter had some flashes of promise early in his career, but rapidly fizzled out under the grind.

 

[Fourier]

He's about the size of Yamamoto. I guess the latter had some flashes of promise early in his career, but rapidly fizzled out under the grind.

He's short but it looks like he is much more stocky than Yamamoto. His weight is listed at 179lbs vs 153lbs for Yamamoto on HockeyDB. By comparison Brad Marchand is listed at 5'9" (same as Savoie and Yamamoto) and 173lbs.

Now who knows how accurate these are. If he really is 5'9" and basically 180lbs that's a pretty decent size for his height. (By the way some sites have him at 5'10" including puckpedia. Puckpedia has Yamo at 5'8" 152lbs )

Yamamoto also lacked two things that Savoie has: Savoie is fast (McKeen's ranked him second in his draft class for skating) and has a plus shot. But the big thing is that he is cheap. Had Yamo had a $875K cap hit he may well still be an Oiler, though he would have a very hard time breaking into this line-up.

 

[tiger_80]

He's short but it looks like he is much more stocky than Yamamoto. His weight is listed at 179lbs vs 153lbs for Yamamoto on HockeyDB. By comparison Brad Marchand is listed at 5'9" (same as Savoie and Yamamoto) and 173lbs.

Now who knows how accurate these are. If he really is 5'9" and basically 180lbs that's a pretty decent size for his height. (By the way some sites have him at 5'10" including puckpedia. Puckpedia has Yamo at 5'8" 152lbs )

Yamamoto also lacked two things that Savoie has: Savoie is fast (McKeen's ranked him second in his draft class for skating) and has a plus shot. But the big thing is that he is cheap. Had Yamo had a $875K cap hit he may well still be an Oiler, though he would have a very hard time breaking into this line-up.

That's true. 180 lb is just over 80kg, which is not too small, especially for a short guy. I guess our hope is he becomes a poor man's Daniel Briere.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

That's true. 180 lb is just over 80kg, which is not too small, especially for a short guy. I guess our hope is he becomes a poor man's Daniel Briere.

How tall was Mike Comrie? I wonder if they're similar size wise?

 

[walktheboulavard]

How tall was Mike Comrie? I wonder if they're similar size wise?

It's funny actually Comrie is listed at 5'10" on db and 5'9" on elite prospects while Savoie is listed inverse of that. Comrie is listed at 185 lbs/84 kgs and Savoie at 179 lbs/81 kgs so they're both pretty sturdy.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

It's funny actually Comrie is listed at 5'10" on db and 5'9" on elite prospects while Savoie is listed inverse of that. Comrie is listed at 185 lbs/84 kgs and Savoie at 179 lbs/81 kgs so they're both pretty sturdy.

Comrie was pretty strong for a guy under 6'. The main thing for smaller guys is to have strong cores and use their lower center of gravity to their advantage in puck battles. If he can earn to do that coupled with his speed, he should be in a good position to have a solid career.

 

[walktheboulavard]

Comrie was pretty strong for a guy under 6'. The main thing for smaller guys is to have strong cores and use their lower center of gravity to their advantage in puck battles. If he can earn to do that coupled with his speed, he should be in a good position to have a solid career.

Absolutely, going to be interesting to see how his game translates/adapts at the Pro level. Although it was a small sample size he's had success in the farm. I don't see it being any different at the NHL level. He might need few more reps with the Condors as the organization wants to develop him as a centerman, but he's too gifted to stay down for too long. If there are injuries beginning of the season I wouldn't be surprised if he starts with the big club.

 

[Fourier]

Comrie was pretty strong for a guy under 6'. The main thing for smaller guys is to have strong cores and use their lower center of gravity to their advantage in puck battles. If he can earn to do that coupled with his speed, he should be in a good position to have a solid career.

From

2022 NHL Draft prospect profile: Matthew Savoie is an offensive juggernaut

Apparently, both of my last draft profiles for the 2022 NHL Draft share the same birthday. And it’s not just any regular ol’ birthday, they are both born on the first day of the year.

www.habseyesontheprize.com

Much like Cole Caufield, Savoie has a low centre of gravity, which helps him remain sturdy against physically more advanced opponents. He remains calm when pressured and forechecks with intensity. He handles his stick as well as any player in this draft class, which aids him in both offensive and defensive aspects of his game.

Caufield is listed at 5'8" 175lbs on HockeyDB.

 

[Mr Kot]

Hes a big guy,

for you

 

[tiger_80]

How tall was Mike Comrie? I wonder if they're similar size wise?

Iirc around 5.9-5.10. He was comparable in size, I guess. but very weak and soft, if my memory serves me right.

 

[Stoneman89]

Hes available. We could sign him for league minimum.

Too small and too injury prone. Those reasons for us moving on from him haven't changed.

 

[Bryanbryoil]

Too small and too injury prone. Those reasons for us moving on from him haven't changed.

If it was league minimum and a 2 way contract I would consider it for depth purposes.

 

[Canovin]

If Savoie and Broberg break out this season, we could be looking at a 3 years dynasty

 

[Canovin]

Too small and too injury prone. Those reasons for us moving on from him haven't changed.

We moved on because he was a cap casualty

 

[McDoused]

If Savoie and Broberg break out this season, we could be looking at a 3 years dynasty

One comparison that people like to make with Savoie is Brayden Point (Moose Jaw connection).

I was just listening to an interview with Mathieu Darche, and he mentioned Point and how he fell to the 3rd round because at the time he had concerns with his skating. Point put the work in with their skating coach. They really focus on finding guys with a "growth mindset" and help their prospects development. I think we will find out if Savoie has that same drive to be better every day and willing to put the work in. With Kalle Larsson stepping in, I would imagine that Savoie has every resource at his disposal to get stronger.

Anyways, Point was able to make the jump to the NHL in his Draft +3 and put up 40 points. Given that Savoie is entering his Draft +3 I think a realistic expectation is that Savoie puts up similar production. Given how much higher he was drafted, as long as he has the same opportunity, he could eventually grow into that 80-point player in a few years.