Giggleplex
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Stauffer spoke with Colin Chaulk yesterday on Oilers Now and apparently Savoie will be playing center in the AHL, as per discussions with management.
Player Discussion Matthew Savoie
- Thread starter suddeninterest
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TheNumber4
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- Nov 11, 2011
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Yeh thought that was an interesting little nugget from that interview. Lots are saying he will ultimately be a wing in this League. I could see it too, but definitely should give him a shot at Center first to see what he can do.
Depends how he does in camp maybe you could do:
Henrique-Savoie-Kane 3rd line
Or Henrique-Savoie-Holloway if you want more speed
I don’t think we should be so quick to assume he has no shot at the team. This is a high end prospect who was poised to break into the NHL if not for a bad injury in training camp last year.
Cerebral
Registered User
Just like baseball where they try to keep guys as a starter or shortstop until they prove they can’t handle it, it makes sense to keep Savoie at centre. I think he starts the year in the AHL and he has the potential to get called up later in the year if he’s dominating.
TheNumber4
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Could yeh, but it would break up the Line 3 from the playoffs. Not that that wasn't gonna happen anyways, I don't I've ever seen an Oilers season with consistent lines lol. The blender seems inevitable.
Long term I think he'll be a Wing Top 6. This season I could see him getting looks in the bottom 6 for sure. 2 years past his draft year and he's already done as much as he could in the CHL. I think he's got the speed, smarts for the NHL as it is. He also looks thicker even though he's small. I would be fine to give him a shot in the NHL depending on his camp. I also wouldn't mind him getting big minutes in the AHL and working more on his play driving and hit avoidance.
Yeh can't hurt to give it try. Could end up being a Mike Peca like Center. And if not a skilled, sniping winger would be great as well.
Bryanbryoil
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I'm not buying it. I saw him make lots of subtle but very smart plays offensively that most players simply don't make. We'll see what he's all about in a few months, but I think that's overstated at best.
Bryanbryoil
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Bumping this now that it was mentioned that he likely starts at C in Bako. It seems like the big club has a similar vision of the player currently. Seeing as McLeod never really used his size, I wonder if Savoie could fill McLeod's role in the not too distant future? If the idea is to play RNH on one of Connor or Leon's wings it could leave an opening for a 3C assuming that Henrique then drops to the 4th line.
I know people loved that line. But it wasn’t actually all that great. In the 7 games in the finals the line scored twice and was scored against once. But they were dominated in terms of shot metrics and expected gf/ga. Janmark and Browns biggest contributions came on the PK by far.
Janmark and Brown together can make up 2 parts of the best 4th line in the league and are two valuable PKers. But they just aren’t 3rd liners imo. It’s a waste of Henrique stapling him to those two during the regular season.
TheNumber4
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I would agree with that. Lots of what we liked from line 3 happened on the PK, so maybe the line 3 got a bit overrated. And yeh, we’re a better team if Janny is lower down the lineup. I do think Brown and Henrique can be a good line 3 for us though. Browns game might be good enough for top 6 again how good he was looking. And Henrique is just so smart with his positioning and puch touches I could see him being a good 3C. I have some concerns of his speed getting back to defend in that role though.
McFlyingV
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Hockey IQ concerns seem made up to me. There's nothing in his game that speaks to him making poor reads, being in poor positions, or not reading the play or off his teammates well. He sees the ice very well and has very good offensive instincts.
The one benefit of him playing centre if he's in the AHL is more puck touches and more defensive responsibility. Even if their plan is to have him wing in the NHL I could see playing centre in the AHL being better for his development. The transition from centre to wing is very easy to make.
Bryanbryoil
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I mentioned earlier that at center he can kind of swoop in and out of traffic easier. His speed is also a benefit to have down the middle especially since we just moved out McLeod who was fast as fluff boy! The good thing is that other than his reach, McLeod never played to his size so the smaller and stockier Savoie could very well replace some of what McLeod brought while also being much more skilled and having a much higher offensive IQ. Add to this that he's a RH shot so our top 3-4 centers are all lefties (if you include RNH, it's our top 4 C's) so that helps on draws if he doesn't get killed there like most rookies do. He also did a fair bit of PKing and had 8SH goals in his last 2 seasons combined. There is lots to like with this player IF he has the core strength and can stay healthy to continue developing. Legitimately his only real "weaknesses" are his size and the fact that he's had some injury issues.
Sheikyerbouti
ShakeyerMcBooty
I feel like IQ is one of Savoie's strengths. He has great reads and can make complex decisions at fast speeds.
LTIR
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- Nov 8, 2013
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Draisaitl replacement past next season
Hyman-McD-Nuge
Holloway-Savoie-Arvidsson
Janmark-Henrique-Kane
Hyman-McD-Nuge
Holloway-Savoie-Arvidsson
Janmark-Henrique-Kane
SupremeTeam16
5-14-6-1
Glad to hear they’ll be putting him at C. His speed is his asset and he’s at his best in open ice. Keep him in the middle and keep him away from the walls so he doesn’t Gallagher himself
McFlyingV
Registered User
I agree with your sentiment. But I will say, that if the situation arises where Leon does decide to move on, it is might nice having a prospect who genuinely projects as a legit offensive player. Because before this trade went down our cupboards were bare in that regard.
If Drai is gone next season, you can guarantee the Oilers are getting another 2C and top 4 D by trading Drai.
Something like Shane Pinto and Artem Zub or Cozens and Byram for Drai
Leon ain't going anywhere buddy
TopShelfGloveSide
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Broberg Speed
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Mr Positive
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Imo Savoie was smart for Buffalo to trade because he really could have busted there
What an amazing stroke of luck for the kid. If development is partly natural gifts and partly opportunity and development, he just got a huge boost on the 2nd part. Savoie will be his best self here in Edmonton.
What an amazing stroke of luck for the kid. If development is partly natural gifts and partly opportunity and development, he just got a huge boost on the 2nd part. Savoie will be his best self here in Edmonton.
Getting Savoie is like getting Eberle after his D+2 season. Ready to step into the NHL.
The size argument doesn't hold any water either because Savoie, at least based on the measurements I saw, is like 25 pounds heavier. He's closer to Viktor Arvidsson's size than Yamamoto. Yamamoto was not only short but he was skinny also.
The Savoies have a pretty stocky build, Carter has a pretty thick frame too in addition to being short although Carter is a little, lets say nicely, "bigger boned" than Matt.
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