Confirmed with Link: Ryan McLeod & Ty Tullio traded to Buffalo for Matthew Savoie

[Sabre Dance]

Lindy’s not Jochen, but what the Hecht.

Ok stupid joke, but Lindy got his Jochen Hecht.

 

[Ace]

I just feel like people are missing some things about where Savoie really ranked. He wasn’t the best player on his own team the year after he was drafted. Benson was. He wasn’t the best player on his own team after he was traded to Moose Jaw. Firkus was. Maybe he was the best player on his own team for 11 games in Wenatchee. Maybe it was Geekie. He went to WJC and was blown out of that tournament by both Ostlund (who was the best player in that tournament and was robbed of MVP) and Kulich.

He was drafted higher than any of the other forward prospects (and Benson). That isn’t an argument that he’s better. It ceases to matter immediately after it happens.

If I was Edmonton I’d be ecstatic because he is immediately my top prospect and is an exciting player with big upside. I’m a Sabres fan and I totally get why he was moved and not Kulich. Or Helenius. Or Benson. Or Ostlund. Or even Wahlberg.

Savoie is who I wanted when we were on the clock at 9 and I think he’s going to be a really good player. But a lot has happened since then. I got a better small winger the next draft. I got two legit center prospects…one later that night and one this year. I got a better goal scorer later that night.

I wish him luck and am happy he’s going home. But he wasn’t this can’t miss special player that he’s being discussed as. He was a really good prospect among a bunch of them.

 

[Beerz]

Wasn’t savoie injured last preseason when lineup decisions are made? Who knows how last year goes and who makes the team if he doesn’t get hurt. He came back from injury and didn’t miss a step. Was really excited for him. When I just went over to the top 10 prospect thread there are quite a few people that had savoie ranked #1. Many long time very knowledgeable posters…number 3 centers are not that difficult to find in free agency, especially with the cap space we had. Top few prospect trades should be saved for top 6 forward/top 4 d.

Savoie was injured in the last prospect tournament game.. He was never at training camp .. he never played any preseason games. He was never making the team last year because he wasn't ready. That was shown when he got his 1 NHL game and his AHL games.

I don't know how or why this narrative of making the team last year even got started.

 

[Aladyyn]

Like the player, hate the price it took, like that Kevyn still went for it

 

[Push Dr Tracksuit]

I'm new here... does everyone on this board always overvalue prospects to this degree?

In general yes these forums put a premium on prospects. Every prospect hits their ceiling it’s just an argument about where that ceiling is.

Unless you’re mad the owner/gm then every prospect will underachieve and any sign contrary is a fluke and not immediately trading them for maximum value is just another sign of incompetence.

 

[Shanahanigans]

I see some people bringing up Mcleods playoff scratch…I believe every forward on the Oilers except Mcdavid, Draisaitl, Hyman and RNH were scratched at one point or another in the playoffs , including 20 goal scorers in Kane and Foegele. We have a pretty deep forward group and one of the best things about Knoblauch is that if a player isn’t playing to his level, he sits them for a game or two and it’s next man up.

 

[debaser66]

[/QUOTE]

I understand it’s what oilers are saying, I’m saying he scored three goals in the Stanley cup finals so it’s a tough thing to say other than the fact it’s coming from some bitter oiler fans.

And yeah he’s not overly physical? He’s not a big point producer either. He’s got negative. And he’s got positives



You’re very clever. And funny.

Dont mind the point producing, but the physical/contact if its true.

And thank you, I enjoy your presence round here

 

[old kummelweck]

I'm new here... does everyone on this board always overvalue prospects to this degree?

We get very attached to our prospects. Value seems to be in the eye of the beholder, but we also hold draft picks in high regard.

 

[Reddawg]

We get very attached to our prospects. Value seems to be in the eye of the beholder, but we also hold draft picks in high regard.

Mainly because picks and prospects have been all we’ve had to be happy about for quite a while now.

I can see the POV many have mentioned about having a wealth of undersized skill guys. I still don’t quite understand why we decided to trade away the best one. Even if McLeod turns out to be a huge asset for us in the near and far term, it’s still going to hurt a lot if Savoie goes full Brayden Point / Danny Briere. I was looking forward to a long Sabres career from Matt and then an even longer career behind a mic for us.

 

[La Cosa Nostra]

What a f***ing joke…you don’t trade top prospects for f***ing third line centers. Not one Oiler fan is bemoaning this move. Attaboy Kev!

 

[Sabre Dance]

What a f***ing joke…you don’t trade top prospects for f***ing third line centers. Not one Oiler fan is bemoaning this move. Attaboy Kev!

I think he definitely could’ve gotten more. A 1st and McLeod would’ve been better.

 

[old kummelweck]

Mainly because picks and prospects have been all we’ve had to be happy about for quite a while now.

I can see the POV many have mentioned about having a wealth of undersized skill guys. I still don’t quite understand why we decided to trade away the best one. Even if McLeod turns out to be a huge asset for us in the near and far term, it’s still going to hurt a lot if Savoie goes full Brayden Point / Danny Briere. I was looking forward to a long Sabres career from Matt and then an even longer career behind a mic for us.

That he was the best one is also a matter of opinion - and why I posted the images from last years prospect polls - he came in 4th behind Kulich and was usurped by Benson. By no means is that insider rankings for the Sabres, but it is probably the closest to an accurate evaluation from a fan base that pays close attention.

I personally see him in a pool of prospects that have similar value and upside that are currently in the Sabres system. So pick one.

 

[Rowley Birkin]

So this basically boils down to -

Mitts and Savoie out

Byram and McLeod in (and Tullio)

I'd rather have the first option and have KA throw money or a trade package at a better fitting D-man, but having dug the hole after the Byram trade I can't blame him for overpaying a bit for McLeod.

I'm not too bothered by losing Savoie because as talented as he might be, he's had shoulder issues and probably wouldn't be the type of player to contend well with a playoff caliber forecheck and physicality. OTOH, I like McLeod as a 3C but it's a major concern that he plays soft. So it's a potentially soft but talented W prospect for a lesser skilled and soft but fast defensive C.

It's a slightly unfortunate ending to a problem KA brought on himself, but I'm much happier with McLeod taking 3C than Krebs, so it's a consolation prize for a TDL move that I hated. Can't cry over it, something had to be done.

McLeod > Mitts (in terms of our needs/fit)
Byram > Savoie (this isn't really debatable)

I'm not sure how you come to the conclusion you came to...

 

[Panthaz89]

I just feel like people are missing some things about where Savoie really ranked. He wasn’t the best player on his own team the year after he was drafted. Benson was. He wasn’t the best player on his own team after he was traded to Moose Jaw. Firkus was. Maybe he was the best player on his own team for 11 games in Wenatchee. Maybe it was Geekie. He went to WJC and was blown out of that tournament by both Ostlund (who was the best player in that tournament and was robbed of MVP) and Kulich.

He was drafted higher than any of the other forward prospects (and Benson). That isn’t an argument that he’s better. It ceases to matter immediately after it happens.

If I was Edmonton I’d be ecstatic because he is immediately my top prospect and is an exciting player with big upside. I’m a Sabres fan and I totally get why he was moved and not Kulich. Or Helenius. Or Benson. Or Ostlund. Or even Wahlberg.

Savoie is who I wanted when we were on the clock at 9 and I think he’s going to be a really good player. But a lot has happened since then. I got a better small winger the next draft. I got two legit center prospects…one later that night and one this year. I got a better goal scorer later that night.

I wish him luck and am happy he’s going home. But he wasn’t this can’t miss special player that he’s being discussed as. He was a really good prospect among a bunch of them.

Did Savoie even play at the WJC? I don't remember him ever being on the roster for Canada.

 

[KiwiGriff]

It's pretty clear that other GMs know Kevyn is up against it and are leveraging that. Two NHL GMs got him to give up a top prospect and the 43rd pick for Ryan McLeod and Beck Malenstyn.

Orrrr, we got Malenstyn for free for dropping a few spots in the first round and probably still got the centre they wanted.

This way is glass half full

 

[Fjordy]

Did Savoie even play at the WJC? I don't remember him ever being on the roster for Canada.

 

[Rasmus CacOlainen]

Gotta love how this board is obsessed with the prospects. We have so many good forward prospects and we need actually good NHLers. Hopefully McLeod could be a useful role player in Lindy's system, he will certainly be much more useful this upcoming season than Matt Savoie and that's all I care about cause I'm fed up of missing playoffs. And Oilers fans are happy cause they think Savoie will be good at NHL level eventually cause he was a high draft pick, which is so far hypothesis with jack shit evidence to support cause he is an undersized, likely winger at NHL level that has had injury issues playing against kids and was overtaken in a heartbeat by a junior teammate on our own team that is also not in our top 6 yet. For all we know he might be out of the league in 3 years but this board is losing their minds just because he was a top 10 pick. Yes, top 10 pick for 3rd line center sounds bad value-wise, but semi-decent 3rd line center for an underperforming young player that hasn't shown an iota of potential to be a top 6 impact player at NHL level since being drafted in the top 10 doesn't sound too bad. I'd rather have Ostlund, Rosen, Kulich in the system over Savoie and I guess Sabres front office agrees with me - they are all at least slightly bigger than Savoie and have higher potential to actually become NHL centers or at least useful wingers rather than Savoie who at that level would be hiding from contact from the bigger boys, especially in the playoffs where we need to be very very soon. Could we have had someone better? Maybe, if we weren't a rotten franchise where no one wants to come in free agency and that is top of everyone decent's no trade list. Chill out with the hot takes over a kiddo that might never be anything at the NHL level.

Losing established top NHL talent in their primes that have since gone on to win the cup like Eichel, ROR, Reinhart and apparently Montour were much, much bigger blunders by our front office over the years, Matthew Savoie isn't nearly the same - he is just a prospect, and not nearly our best one right now.

 

[old kummelweck]

Orrrr, we got Malenstyn for free for dropping a few spots in the first round and probably still got the centre they wanted.

This way is glass half full

Butterfly effect. Sabres dropped 3 spots - did they have this trade in the chamber already? Would they have done this if Helenius was off the board? Did drafting that player allow them to revisit the Edmonton deal and make them more comfortable with moving Savoie? There is also a Lars Ehlers rumor out there for Kulich and Ostlund. Is that a better value?

 

[La Cosa Nostra]

Imagine a GM trading an elite top prospect + #43 overall pick in a good draft for a 30 point 3C and a 4th liner with zero pedigree. Wow. I never want to hear shit about Botterill again. Adams is a f***ing disaster. At least the guys Murray brought in ended up being contributors to cup competing teams, this is a f***ing joke. I sincerely and truly hope Skinner and Savoie this year end up being big pieces to an Edmonton cup win.

 

[tsujimoto74]

I just feel like people are missing some things about where Savoie really ranked. He wasn’t the best player on his own team the year after he was drafted. Benson was. He wasn’t the best player on his own team after he was traded to Moose Jaw. Firkus was. Maybe he was the best player on his own team for 11 games in Wenatchee. Maybe it was Geekie. He went to WJC and was blown out of that tournament by both Ostlund (who was the best player in that tournament and was robbed of MVP) and Kulich.

He was drafted higher than any of the other forward prospects (and Benson). That isn’t an argument that he’s better. It ceases to matter immediately after it happens.

If I was Edmonton I’d be ecstatic because he is immediately my top prospect and is an exciting player with big upside. I’m a Sabres fan and I totally get why he was moved and not Kulich. Or Helenius. Or Benson. Or Ostlund. Or even Wahlberg.

Savoie is who I wanted when we were on the clock at 9 and I think he’s going to be a really good player. But a lot has happened since then. I got a better small winger the next draft. I got two legit center prospects…one later that night and one this year. I got a better goal scorer later that night.

I wish him luck and am happy he’s going home. But he wasn’t this can’t miss special player that he’s being discussed as. He was a really good prospect among a bunch of them.

I don’t think I’ve seen anyone hyping Savioe to that extent; the plaint is “really? McLeod is all you could get for him?”

 

[Chainshot]

Did Savoie even play at the WJC? I don't remember him ever being on the roster for Canada.

He did, though he did miss one game. It was not his best work.

 

[Fjordy]

I don’t think I’ve seen anyone hyping Savioe to that extent; the plaint is “really? McLeod is all you could get for him?”

Adams yes, maybe another GM would have get more. But Kevyn himself is to blame, he accumulated these prospects for too long and now he could not trade from a position of strength.

 

[Dreakon13]

I'm new here... does everyone on this board always overvalue prospects to this degree?

Having a good prospect pool is the closest thing to winning Sabres fans have had in over a decade. People just need to see something, anything work out for the NHL team, and they'll kinda snap out of it. But nothing has so far, and it's a tough sell that this will (though I think there is logic to it).

 

[TehDoak]

Lets be 100% real here: This was a christmas eve craigslist purchase. GMs are packing up for the summer, the shelves for what adams wanted were empty, he had to go pay enough for a GM to give up something he wasn't trying to sell.

Would it have been better for him to sign Henrique for just a contract? Sure. That probably wasn't an option.

I would loved someone who is a bit better offensively and more physical.

But in the end, Adams inaction the past 4 offseasons caught up to him. This was a role that has been sorely needed since he became the GM. He should have tried to fill it when the market was more favorable and cap space was harder to come by.

But, it's better to have filled the role, even at a getting bent over price, than it remain unfilled.

 

[Panthaz89]

Having a good prospect pool is the closest thing to winning Sabres fans have had in over a decade. People just need to see something, anything work out for the NHL team, and they'll kinda snap out of it. But nothing has so far, and it's a tough sell that this will (though I think there is logic to it).

We've acquired players that are good bottom 6ers without having to trade one of the top prospects......half the league is signing the same caliber players for free in FA regardless of his age his contract is up in two years even RFA he could just take a 1-2 year deal then run away afterwards.