In this edition of Buffalo Sabres News and Rumors, we look back at the events of July 5th, when the Sabres traded potential star Mathieu Savoie to the Edmonton Oilers for Ryan McLeod and Tyler Tullio, re-signed Henri Jokiharju and had two restricted free agents file for arbitration.
Sabres trade top prospect to Oilers
It's rare for a team that's been out of the playoff picture for years to trade one of their best prospects. Some think Savoy was the best, others think he was in the top three, but either way, it's rare for a prospect of his caliber to be traded.
Savoy was selected ninth overall in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft and has since skyrocketed his name to the top of the list as one of the top five prospects in that class.
Savoie played the majority of the season in the Western Hockey League (WHL) in his fourth season. Over those three years, Savoie played in 161 games and racked up an impressive 256 points. Savoie led the WHL in points per game and led the league in 2023-24. After a dominant performance in the WHL, Savoie signed with the Sabres to join the organization, giving him the opportunity to play one NHL game and six American Hockey League (AHL) games.
RELATED: Oilers trade Ryan McLeod to Sabres for prospect Matt Savoy
Five points in six AHL games is impressive, and the player is talented enough that he'll likely transition to a winger in the NHL — or, at least, that seems to have been the plan — while the Oilers may have a different development plan in mind.
MacLeod and Tarrio's Invitation
The Sabres' goal here was obviously to help the team now. Savoy was one of their top prospects, but with one of the best and deepest prospect pools in the league, they can afford to take risks. Giving up a star prospect is never ideal, but that wasn't the case with this trade.
McLeod just finished a great season with the Oilers, scoring 30 points in 81 games. At just 24 years old, McLeod still has the potential to develop into a more complete player. The Oilers' depth at forward would make McLeod unnecessary come playoff time, and with the signings of Jeff Skinner and Adam Henrique and the uncertainty around Evander Kane the Oilers were willing to move on. At the very least, McLeod would be a solid bottom-six center who can stop penalties.
But being a bottom-six center is just the bottom line for McLeod. There's more room to move up the roster, so McLeod could take advantage of his opportunities and thrive with the Sabres. He's not going to be a top-line point-per-game center, but if he can get more time on the ice and improve his production, he could very well be the 45+ point two-way center that teams really value.
Tullio was a fifth-round pick of the Oilers and was traded to the AHL after a dominant third season in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Although he didn't perform as well as expected, Tullio averaged just under half a point per game as a middle-six winger for the Bakersfield Condors.
On the surface, it may not seem like it's worth it at all, and this trade certainly has the potential to be a tough one to look back on, but there's no guarantee of a promising player in the mix, and while Savoy was pretty close to being a promising player, he hasn't proven anything at the NHL level, so the Sabres decided to take a gamble with this deal.
Sabres bring back Joki Harju
The Sabres re-signed Joki Harju to a one-year deal worth $3.1 million, and while many have pointed to this as being too expensive, the Sabres have plenty of cap space and with very few high-end free agents remaining, they can afford to make this deal to avoid arbitration.
Joki Harju is a good reserve defenseman, versatile enough to play higher in the lineup and compete against better defensemen, but not strong enough defensively to be a true shutdown defenseman, and not good enough offensively to be a reliable top-four option. He's not the strongest physically, but he can move the puck well and contribute in transition. His puck movement doesn't often translate to the scoresheet, but he does add value to the lineup.
It helps to have a defenseman like Joki Harju around because he plays the same no matter where you put him. Ideally, you'd want a more reliable defenseman, but as a number 6 or 7 defenseman, he's perfectly fine in that role.
Luukkonen and Marensten file for arbitration
The player-selected arbitration deadline of 5 p.m. on July 5 has passed, and two Sabres players have filed requests to meet with an impartial arbitrator to finalize their contracts, meaning neither player is currently eligible to receive an offer sheet.
Contracts can often be agreed upon until the player and team enter arbitration, which is quite common. Arbitration can be tough for players, as teams will give as many reasons as possible to undervalue the player and avoid any upside.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is one of the players who applied, in this case a goaltender. After a breakout year with the Sabres, he deserves a significant raise from his $837,500 salary for the 2023-24 season. His record of 27 wins, 22 losses and 4 ties and a .910 save percentage indicate he can be a starting goaltender. With the Sabres signing James Reimer and Felix Sandstrom to add to their goaltending depth and star prospect Devon Levy looking to make the NHL full-time, the Sabres are likely to avoid long-term deals unless they can keep the cap hit low.
Freshly drafted Bec Malensteen finished his first full season in the NHL with 25 points in 81 games. He was acquired to add depth at forward, but his excellent skating, physicality and ability to draw penalties are assets that interested the Sabres. He also filed for arbitration, but is due for a relatively low cap hit contract, so this will likely be completed before meeting with an arbitrator.
It was another busy day in Buffalo, but these moves add depth to the lineup and create competition. Having enough depth with a mix of established NHL players and big league prospects keeps players motivated, and the Sabres have done a good job of keeping their bottom six and bottom four competitive, giving them plenty of options.
