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

[Oilhawks]

Jeff Jackson with more incredible work. Building some sustainable young quality pedigree prospect talent with O'Reilly and now Savoie. All the while reducing cap space to get close to cap compliance.

Savoie goes directly to Bakersfield to refine his elite offensive skill against men, get stronger and continue to build up a complete game. There is some risk here if the injuries continue with a small body player. But obviously a fantastic deal.

Though I've been indifferent about McLeod, I actually thought he might reset well on this super deep Oil team as a utility player who could lockdown 4C and shift to bottom six wing when this team needed speed and maybe a different look. A step back on a stacked team to continue to grow his game learning behind some great veteran pros and young enough to sustain this team's window. But this is about winning now and adding a blue chip prospect to a really flaccid system.

Won't hammer Buffalo too much. They have too many similar smaller prospects and need to jolt their NHL roster to push for playoffs. McLeod will anchor a very fast bottom six delivering solid defensive play, face-offs and PK. His cap hit (which I thought should have been $1.5 - $1.75 million) fits better with the Sabres along with his softer, perimeter tendencies.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1809325600991006924

Oil win the deal but both teams recalibrate around very different phases of their organization and needs to move them forward in the immediate and mid/long-term.

He'll fit right in on the cardio squad in their bottom 6. I kid...mostly.

 

[TopShelfGloveSide]

He was fine 2 years ago. 23 pts in 57 games. You've been around the our trade threads for the last 2 years, how much did we seriously talk about moving Mcleod? For the most part it was accepted that at 2M for what he brought and what we'd hope he'd bring, he was fine in that role. And we looked towards other areas of need like RD.

We didn’t talk about trading McLeod but we talked about getting a 3C every year. I don’t think he’s a bad player… just not a good C.

 

[Icejoker]

Much talk about Hall here, so hasnt Adams still the record for a second, he gave up 4 milj when he traded Hall to Boston ?

 

[Ninety7]

It’s not cope. Savoie hasn’t done shit.
Draft+2 in the CHL means nothing.

I’d read more into not being invited to the WJ team and then having a terrible showing last year .

I’m fine with the trade.. but man some of y’all overrate prospects.



Just to make this clear… I’m not cheering against the kid. I’m not trying to be contrarian… but I definitely have a different view on prospects than a lot of people here.

That said I hope he blows the doors off wherever he plays .

It’s called asset management. In what world is a 3rd line centre with limited offensive capability and zero physicality worth a top 10 pick?

Savoies value is higher than McLeods and I don’t think that’s debatable at all.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

I just really don’t like putting young players in a situation where they may play as little as 5 minutes a night. Especially when we’ve seen what Holloway is capable of when given top 6 minutes. Either way we'll probably see every permutation and combination of these 12 guys between now and October so eventually someone will be right.

Agree but KK doesn’t seem to do short play the 4th line. Woody was brutal. But with KK the 4th line tends to get 8-12 min a night. And as I stated Holloway won’t be 4th line all year, he is talented and versatile enough to move up as circumstances dictate.

 

[TheNumber4]

According to MoneyPuck, in 143 minutes in the regular season, he centred a line with Foegele and Leon as wingers, and had a xGF% of 53%. I guess it's okay?

Interesting. I would say that's not good enough for a Line 2 featuring Leon Draisaitl. Which is something I hoped we would have solved all last year with a Top 6 Winger Upgrade. So I'm happy that we've replaced the fake Top 6 wingers in Foegele/Mcleod with Skinner/Arvie.

We should really look at McLeod's work in his bottom 6 role though, I'll look it up:
Foegele-Mcleod-Ryan @ 72.1% xGF in 60 mins.
Holloway-Mcleod-Perry @ 51% xGF in 73 mins.
Kane-Mcleod-Perry @ 62.3 xGF% in 59 mins.
Foegele-Mcleod-Perry @ 63.9% xGF% in 58.3 mins.
Holloway-Mcleod-Brown @ 57.5% xGF% in 54.2 mins.

The year earlier:
Foegele-Mcleod-Puljujarvi @ 61.7% xGF% in 90.5 mins.
Foegele-Mcleod-Janmark @ 60% xGF% in 53 mins.

He did well in his job and in his role. Sparse production, but we've always been a team that's expected our bottom 6 to just win their battle and let the big guys take care of the scoring. I guess all I'm saying is you could do ALOT worse than a 2M Mcleod in a 3C role. Keep in mind we paid a 1st to RENT a better 3C in Henrique who is a 5M player. We got lucky to have Henrique for 3M this year. I think Mcleod is worth his contract @ 2M.

 

[Behind Enemy Lines]

He'll fit right in on the cardio squad in their bottom 6. I kid...mostly.

haha. I actually like the Sabres rework bottom six. I've like Malenstyn going back to junior viewings with the Hitmen. Heavy, fast abrasive game. Lafferty was massively overhyped by a local hack but still good gritty game with speed. McLeod will have some size and grit for winger options.

They collectively might not be able to put the puck in the ocean but as a veteran group can bring their team energy and solid defensive play.

 

[Oilhawks]

haha. I actually like the Sabres rework bottom six. I've like Malenstyn going back to junior viewings with the Hitmen. Heavy, fast abrasive game. Lafferty was massively overhyped by a local hack but still good gritty game with speed. McLeod will have some size and grit for winger options.

They collectively might not be able to put the puck in the ocean but as a veteran group can bring their team energy and solid defensive play.

If anything, I think the Sabres make the playoffs just because it has to happen at some point. Speedy bottom 6 might help with that

 

[TheNumber4]

We didn’t talk about trading McLeod but we talked about getting a 3C every year. I don’t think he’s a bad player… just not a good C.

At the very least he more than won his possession battle in that role and put up 30ish pts. @ 2M that's a good 3C. Is it Henrique good? No. But Henrique is a 5M player that costs a 1st just to rent for a couple months. McLeod is 24 and his game is still growing too. I think there's value around the League for a player like Mcleod in a 3C role, this trade speaks to that. Maybe not for us though, cause we need the better and more proven Henrique for a Cup Run Year.

 

[Oilhawks]

At the very least he more than won his possession battle in that role and put up 30ish pts. @ 2M that's a good 3C. Is it Henrique good? No. But Henrique is a 5M player that costs a 1st just to rent for a couple months. McLeod is 24 and his game is still growing too. I think there's value around the League for a player like Mcleod in a 3C role, this trade speaks to that. Maybe not for us though, cause we need the better and more proven Henrique for a Cup Run Year.

The problem with this argument is he’s not producing the 30 points as a 3C. His production as a bottom 6 centre is substantially lower. Most of that offense was playing with Leon

 

[TheNumber4]

haha. I actually like the Sabres rework bottom six. I've like Malenstyn going back to junior viewings with the Hitmen. Heavy, fast abrasive game. Lafferty was massively overhyped by a local hack but still good gritty game with speed. McLeod will have some size and grit for winger options.

They collectively might not be able to put the puck in the ocean but as a veteran group can bring their team energy and solid defensive play.

Hmm maybe Buffalo has planned for Mcleod's softness.

 

[Old Boys Club]

Hmm maybe Buffalo has planned for Mcleod's softness.

Their bottom 6 are gonna be the kings of stick checks and counterattacks with shots deflected into the netting or 5 feet over the net.

The 'going nowhere, incredibly quickly' squad

 

[TheNumber4]

The problem with this argument is he’s not producing the 30 points as a 3C. His production as a bottom 6 centre is substantially lower. Most of that offense was playing with Leon

In 2022-2023 he was on that pace playing away from Drai though. A down year for him this last year, but its plausible that he's a 30 pt 3C. I see one in him at least.

 

[TheNumber4]

Their bottom 6 are gonna be the kings of stick checks and counterattacks with shots deflected into the netting or 5 feet over the net.

The 'going nowhere, incredibly quickly' squad

Lol. Isn't that how their whole team plays?

 

[Oilhawks]

In 2022-2023 he was on that pace playing away from Drai though. A down year for him this last year, but its plausible that he's a 30 pt 3C. I see one in him at least.

It’s possible, but right now the 30 points is a mirage. Maybe Adams isn’t aware of the production being boosted. McLeod is a fine player but inconsistent and flawed. Sure, Savoie may not be a sure thing but he’s more likely to be a top 6 player in the NHL than McLeod is to be a dominant, line driving 3C that some view him as. Things have to go right for both of them, but Savoie is trending more that way than McLeod is

 

[Old Boys Club]

Lol. Isn't that how their whole team plays?

MOst likely, one would assume - watching Buffalo games is not on my priority list.

 

[Gordian Knot]

Savoie oozes skill, creativity, compete and especially ability to find open space from the rink. I am in group thinking we got a gamer.

In top of that he likes to shoot and is RHC.

Kind of mix of Brayden Point and Cam Atkinson, maybe ceiling is Point and floor is Atkinson.

Hope he has tremendous training camp and gets few pre-season games with high end players we have. Few months maturing in Bakersfield can transform this project to top6 ready player, latest after next summer.



He also has really really good skating technique and works hard to polish it even further, once he gets his man strenght he will blow past NHL defenders like nothing.

 

[TopShelfGloveSide]

At the very least he more than won his possession battle in that role and put up 30ish pts. @ 2M that's a good 3C. Is it Henrique good? No. But Henrique is a 5M player that costs a 1st just to rent for a couple months. McLeod is 24 and his game is still growing too. I think there's value around the League for a player like Mcleod in a 3C role, this trade speaks to that. Maybe not for us though, cause we need the better and more proven Henrique for a Cup Run Year.

He could be paid 1 million and he would still be a bad 3C. I feel like all of McLeods points came when he played on the wing. (Where he is better)

Sure McLeod has some value. No argument there.

 

[TheNumber4]

He could be paid 1 million and he would still be a bad 3C. I feel like all of McLeods points came when he played on the wing. (Where he is better)

Sure McLeod has some value. No argument there.

This last year yeah. 30 pt pace the year before playing Bottom 6. Well we can agree to disagree, I think he's fine for 2M in that role, just not for us. He probably would produce more as a Wing though, lose a bit of his 2 way play though which has value.

 

[Spawn]

The problem with this argument is he’s not producing the 30 points as a 3C. His production as a bottom 6 centre is substantially lower. Most of that offense was playing with Leon

I think this is being overstated. They had points together on something like 6 goals this season.

 

[iCanada]

I feel bad for Sabres fans, they think Ryan is hard to pay against like his brother is.

They're going to be so disappointed.

 

[Oilhawks]

Going through the mains trade thread

That LeProspecteur poster may be the dumbest poster in HF…and that’s saying something

 

[iCanada]

McLeod plays soft ??

Certified 10-ply. He might stop in front of the net once every 10 games.

 

[Cloned]

I feel bad for Sabres fans, they think Ryan is hard to pay against like his brother is.

They're going to be so disappointed.

I’ve gotten a lot of use out of this gif lately:

 

[Mcnofool6110]

Last year, we dumped Kostin and Yamamoto for cap space and we all poo-poohed a "price you have to pay" situation

Here, we dump McLeod for cap space and got a treading-water-at-worst 9th overall pick.

Really wish we'd Jackson'd earlier.