Edmonton Oilers fans were overjoyed when it was announced that their team had acquired Matt Savoie from the Buffalo Sabres. The 21-year-old, who was selected ninth overall in 2022, was viewed as a borderline elite prospect who immediately became the best young piece in the Oilers’ organization.
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What made the trade even better was that it only required the Oilers to ship out an underwhelming forward in Ryan McLeod, along with prospect Tyler Tullio. This was a move that puzzled the hockey world, as it felt like the Oilers won it by a landslide.
Some were optimistic that Savoie would crack the Oilers’ lineup out of camp last fall. The coaching staff ultimately decided to assign him to the American Hockey League (AHL) to best guide him during what is his first professional season. He’d gotten off to a slow start but now sits with 37 points through 45 AHL games, which was enough to earn him a call-up in mid-February.
Savoie Not Getting a Real Opportunity
Much like they were when he was first acquired, Oilers fans were thrilled when it was announced that Savoie was being recalled. It seemed well-deserved given the season he was having in the AHL, and many felt he could step in and provide some of the secondary scoring they desperately needed.
Things started well for Savoie, who picked up his first NHL point in his first period, making a good play behind the Philadelphia Flyers’ net to set up Leon Draisaitl. One would think that type of play would give him more opportunities moving forward, but that hasn’t been the case.
Savoie suited up the following two games but wasn’t given a ton of minutes to do what he does best. Though the Oilers struggled as a whole in those two outings, it was Savoie who came out of the lineup as a healthy scratch on Thursday versus the Florida Panthers.
That decision was met with puzzlement from many. It didn’t help the Oilers’ fortunes whatsoever, as they went on to lose to the Panthers by a 4-3 final. The loss seemingly indicated that Savoie would get back into the lineup on Saturday versus the Carolina Hurricanes, but shortly before puck drop, it was announced that Savoie would once again be held out of the lineup.
While you can understand head coach Kris Knoblauch wanting to put the best lines together to help give his team the win, you have to wonder why they would call up Savoie at all. If the plan was to give any potential call-up limited minutes and even sit in the press box at times, one would think calling up James Hamblin, Drake Caggiula, or perhaps even Derek Ryan would have made more sense.
Scratching Savoie Not Helping His Development
The Oilers, much in part due to their success in recent years, don’t have many noteworthy prospects in their system. Savoie is the lone gem, making it very important that the organization does everything in its power to ensure he develops to the point that he’s ready to be an impactful NHLer sooner than later.
As fun as the story has been to see him called up, having him continue to get a ton of minutes and power-play time in the AHL serves him way better in terms of development than having him sit and watch games. If having him sit for any period of time going forward is the plan, then the Oilers would be much better off sending him back down.
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In the minds of most Oilers fans, the best decision would simply be to play him and give him a true opportunity with top-six minutes. He proved early in his debut that he can be quite impactful. With how much this team is struggling to score goals aside from Leon Draisaitl, they may as well see what they have in him in hopes that he can help provide some offence.
