July 5, 2025 by Ryan Lotsberg

Edmonton Oilers CEO Jeff Jackson is sure making a lot of moves for a guy that doesn’t want to be the team’s general manager. The Oilers have traded Ryan McLeod and Tyler Tullio to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Matthew Savoie.

McLeod was the Oilers’ second round pick in 2018. The 24-year old got 75 points in 219 games played for the Oilers, including 30 in 81 games last season. McLeod added thirteen points in 56 playoff games, including four points in 24 playoff games this past spring.

McLeod’s point total from last year suggests that he has become a legitimate third line center, but we have to remember that he got twelve of those 30 points while playing on the second line with Leon Draisaitl and Warren Foegele during the team’s sixteen game winning streak. McLeod has a lot of components that make him a fantastic player. He’s got a ton of speed, he’s defensively responsible, and he transports the puck well. McLeod is a frustrating player because the offensive production was just not consistent enough when he was an Oiler. He has increased his hit count in every year of his professional career so far, but he leaves fans wanting more in that area. He consistently stops and turns back at the half wall in the offensive zone rather than taking the puck to the net.

McLeod was a healthy scratch in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars in the 2024 playoffs. He didn’t get a single point in fourteen games prior to being scratched. McLeod was on the ice for two goals against at five-on-five in the first round against the Los Angeles Kings, and he wasn’t on the ice for a single one in the first five games of the second round against the Vancouver Canucks. McLeod was on the ice for one five-on-five goal per game in the next four consecutive games until he was removed from the lineup. One of those goals against was the direct result of McLeod mishandling the puck in his own zone and turning it over in Game 7 in Vancouver. McLeod’s greatest strength was his defensive play, and he struggled for a four-game stretch in the playoffs. He couldn’t counteract those mistakes at the other end of the ice, although he does get credit for scoring a goal upon returning to the lineup in Game 4 of the Western Conference Final.

The bottom line is that the Oilers are ready to win, and they need an uptick in secondary scoring. The third line is a key to that, and McLeod wasn’t able to provide that in the playoffs. He needed time in the top six to boost his offensive production to a level consistent with that of a third line centre in the regular season. The Oilers decided that McLeod isn’t the player they want to centre their third line next season and down the road. McLeod was a home grown draft pick that gave them over 200 games. That’s not an easy asset to give up, but the Oilers were clearly comfortable making that decision. They aren’t in a position to wait for McLeod to be able to put it all together offensively. They re-signed Adam Henrique, which made McLeod expendable.

Tullio was a fifth round pick of the Oilers in the 2020 draft. The 22-year old got 21 points in 54 games for the Bakersfield Condors in his second professional season last year. He’s small in stature at 5’10” and 165 lbs, but he plays a tenacious style. He’s an industrious player that has a chance to make the NHL in a bottom six role. Tullio was a quality pick in the fifth round.

The Oilers got Matthew Savoie in return. Savoie was the ninth overall pick in the 2022 draft. The St Albert product had quite the final year of junior hockey last season. He was injured during training camp with the Sabres, and he was sent to their AHL affiliate (the Rochester Americans) for a conditioning stint. He got two goals and three assists in his first five AHL games before being held off the scoresheet in his sixth and final game for the Americans on November 3, 2023. Savoie got called up to make his NHL debut on November 10, 2023, a game against the Minnesota Wild in which he only played 3:50.

Savoie was sent back to the Wentachee Wild of the WHL immediately after his NHL debut. He put up 24 points in just eleven games before heading to the World Juniors to play for Canada, where he got one point in four games. Savoie got traded to a loaded Moose Jaw Warriors team, where he got 47 points in just 23 games. He added 24 points in nineteen playoff games en route to the WHL championship. Savoie got four points in the Memorial Cup as well.

The St. Albert product instantly becomes the Oilers’ top prospect. Savoie is a bit on the small side at 5’9” and 180 lbs, but his offensive production speaks for itself. Savoie was an elite point producer at the junior level. He played centre in junior, but he will likely be a winger in the NHL whenever he arrives. He’s also right-handed. That’s a big thing for the Oilers, who are short on right-handed forwards in the system. 

Yes, Savoie’s brother is Carter Savoie, the Oilers’ fourth round pick in the 2020 draft. The elder Savoie was not issued a qualifying offer by the Oilers last month, which means that he is now an unrestricted free agent.

Related: Carter Savoie signs ATO with Bakersfield Condors

The Oilers gave up a useful young roster player and an intriguing prospect, but they got the best player in this deal. Savoie won’t be ready to help the Oilers right away, but he will be a contributor in the near future.

Savoie might not be ready for a while, but this move does help the Oilers in the short-term. The Oilers were $2,454,167 over the league’s salary cap prior to this trade, but moving McLeod’s contract out saved them $2.1 million. They are now only $354,167 over the salary cap with an active roster of 21 players. They still have to sign restricted free agents Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg, but the team’s cap situation is far less dire after this trade. I’m expecting that the Oilers will be in a situation where they will be forced to only carry 20 players on their active roster for most of the season, barring any injuries or any potential players being placed on long-term injury reserve.

This was another brilliant stroke of the proverbial paintbrush by Jackson. I was hesitant about trading a young player that has the defensive acumen and the positive impact on five-on-five goal share that McLeod has, but Jackson was able to clear salary while turning a former second rounder and a former fifth rounder into a former top ten pick that is now the team’s best prospect. I’m fine with it now that I’ve seen the return. I wish McLeod and Tullio the best of luck in Buffalo, but it’s a big win for the Oilers.