None of that matters if Savoie forces your hand. If he's outplaying guys in camp and is scoring points in NHL games, he stays. That's how it has always worked.
You should brace yourself for Savoie being on the 23-24 roster because it is a very real possibility.
Actually it isn't. Plenty of time players have been better at camp and gotten sent down or returned to Juniors. It happens all the time. It's about fit and addressing needs. I like Savoie, I think in an ideal world he's our #1 center in Rochester and first call up when there is an injury and an opening on a scoring line. That isn't an option due to the way the AHL/CHL rules work.
Really the only way he is a regular is if one of the waiver exempt players are sent down. Krebs, Quinn, and Peterka will all have some waiver exemption left (though, assuming he's healthy, Krebs hits that limit 25 games into next year). Unless someone has a huge turdburger of a camp or we are hit with a long term injury during camp that opens a slot, I'd be surprised to see him here.
Moving a 25+ goal scorer in Olofsson this summer because we need to add better two way play and to use that slot on a 19 year old rookie would be counter intuitive to say the least.
Also, from a pure logistical standpoint, the further we can slide Savoie's ELC, the better. Since he will be 19 on Sept 15th this year, we can slide his ELC an additional year. That would mean, we'd get better years from him while his contract is cheap.
The Sabres are no longer a 'developmental' team. We are going to finish over .500 (hopefully) and likely within 5 points of the last playoff spot. It has to be about winning games now. You can't force a square peg into a round hole on your roster, even if it's a very nice square peg.
Savoie could have individual success on our roster right now. He's a talented kid. I don't think he would improve our team in the standings, however.
