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February 21, 2025The timing of Savoie’s Oilers opportunity makes me wonder
Photo Credit: x.com/EdmontonOilers
February 18, 2025 by Ryan Lotsberg
NHL teams resumed practicing on Tuesday after getting some time off due to the 4 Nations Face-Off. The NHL has allowed teams with players participating in the tournament to have two extra players skating with them at practice. For the Edmonton Oilers, those two players are Derek Ryan and Matthew Savoie.
Related: Oilers trade McLeod to Sabres for Savoie
Ryan has played 33 games for the Oilers this season, and 258 games for the Oilers in the last four seasons. His presence with the team at practice this week shouldn’t be a surprise.
Savoie’s presence shouldn’t really be a surprise either. He has earned this opportunity to at least practice with the team after putting up 25 points in his last 23 games for the Bakersfield Condors. Savoie earned a trip to the AHL All-Star game earlier this month. He sits third in the AHL rookie scoring race with 37 points in 45 games this season, and he has a +16 rating to boot.
The surprising thing to me is that Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said that Savoie will get a chance to play for the Oilers on their upcoming five-game eastern road trip.
“We want to look and see how he fits into our lineup, whether there’s a fit with somebody or maybe he’s just not quite ready, whatever it is; but I think he’s earned it. I think he’s been playing very well in Bakersfield, and we’ll just see if he plays well and we’ll make a decision after that.”
I think the organization would’ve been happy to let him develop in the AHL all season if he hadn’t blown their socks off with his performance; but he’s been tremendous in Bakersfield.
On the surface, it seems like positive news all around. The kid is having a great season and is adjusting well to professional hockey, and the organization has a legitimate prospect on its hands. Fans will get a glimpse at what they might have in Savoie, which is exciting. Everybody wins.
My concern is the timing of this opportunity. The fans and the Oilers organization aren’t the only ones that will get to see how NHL ready Savoie is right now. Other organizations will get a look at him too.
The NHL trade deadline is two and a half weeks away, and the Oilers are rumoured to be in on a number of different players. The Oilers aren’t exactly flush with expendable assets. Savoie is one of the few prospects in the Oilers organization that other teams would covet. They don’t have their 2025 first round pick. It was involved in the trade with the Philadelphia Flyers that allowed the Oilers to pick Sam O’Reilly last year. The pick is top twelve protected, but there’s no way that the Oilers will finish low enough for that pick to be in the top twelve, so we can assume it’s gone.
I view Savoie as an important asset for the Oilers. Trading him for a player that might improve the odds of winning a Stanley Cup this season is a move that might cost the team a Cup or two down the road. It would be a short-sighted mistake. While we all want to win right now, I also want to win for the next eight years of Leon Draisaitl’s new contract, and I want to win during Connor McDavid’s next contract here as well (should he choose to sign an extension here like I think he will). The team needs high quality prospects to contribute to long-term success. This strategy of spending assets to acquire 32-year old players that are on the decline because they’re “win now” players isn’t sustainable, nor does it guarantee championships. If you’re upset that the Oilers haven’t won a Stanley Cup at this point in McDavid’s career, imagine how upset you’ll be if the team never wins a Stanley Cup because they pissed all their assets away chasing immediate gratification.
Related: What are the Oilers getting in Matthew Savoie?
The only way I would change my stance on the decision to trade Savoie is if the incoming player was someone in his prime that would be here for more than just a year or two. It would need to be an impactful player that would provide that impact for several years to come to justify trading Savoie right now.
I think we’re kidding ourselves if we think that Savoie hasn’t been brought up in conversations with other teams though. If I was an opposing GM with an asset the Oilers wanted, I would be asking for Savoie.
This opportunity to view Savoie at the NHL level two weeks before the trade deadline likely isn’t just about seeing how close he is to being ready. The Oilers want to know how he could fit in their lineup and in their organization not only with eyes on this season, but beyond it as well. They want to know if he’s truly worth keeping, or if they would feel comfortable enough to move him in a trade for immediate help.
I don’t know if I want to see Savoie play on a line with Draisaitl right now or not. That would be fun to see, and it could be the start of a lasting partnership. It could make the Oilers take him off the trading block; but it could also drive his value up, which could result in a trade. I don’t think giving Savoie the typical call-up treatment of playing seven to ten minutes a night on the fourth line would be of benefit to him. That would increase the likelihood of him being deemed “not ready”. That might temper other teams’ interest in him, but it might also make the Oilers more willing to part with him.
Whatever happens, I’m just hoping that Savoie will be a part of the Oilers organization after March 7. I won’t be surprised if he isn’t though.
1 Comment
It is always hard seeing quality’s prospects and first round picks traded because those are the teams future. I agree with most of what you wrote. It is much different if they are bringing in a player in his prime that either has multiple years on his current deal or that they are confident they can re-sign. Someone like Dobson, who’s has been mentioned could really increase our cup chances this year and for the next few years if they are able to extend him. I usually would agree that trading that quality of asset for an older vet does not make sense unless that older vet is of such high quality that he instantly improves your teams compete level. Marchand has been mentioned, and while it is not our biggest weakness and seems far fetched, if they could get him without losing too much off of the current team you would have to look at it.