The Oilers-Sabres trade paves the way for Kent Hughes
To everyone's surprise, the Buffalo Sabres traded the prospect Matthew Savoie to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Ryan McLeod and a prospect currently playing in the minor leagues, Ty Tullio.
This transaction has sparked a lot of discussion among journalists questioning the skills of the Buffalo Sabres' general manager.
Matthew Savoie, the 9th overall pick in the draft, had an exceptional season in the junior ranks with an offensive output exceeding 2 points per game (71 points in 34 games) in the WHL.
- Via journalist Jason Gregor
Ryan McLeod, 24 years old, has an offensive production of 34 points in 105 games during the 2023-2024 season, which includes both regular season and playoff games. He has recorded 4 points in 24 playoff games.
A good piece of news for the Montreal Canadiens and Kent Hughes regarding the Rutger McGroarty situation?
It is known that Matthew Savoie possesses significant offensive talent, but he is a small player at 5 feet 9 inches and under 180 pounds. The Sabres have several similar players in Jack Quinn, Zach Benson, and Noah Ostlund.
Sabres' general manager Kevyn Adams agreed to part with a potential top-6 offensive player to acquire a defensive specialist with explosive skating. Offensively, Ryan McLeod doesn't measure up, but there's more to hockey than goals and points. The Sabres struggled defensively in 2023-2024 and needed a player capable of killing penalties. His short-term contribution is likely to be superior to Matthew Savoie's.
This trade is interesting for Kent Hughes. Savoie is seen as a more offensive player than Rutger McGroarty, a young American prospect on the Canadiens' radar. Both drafted in 2022, McGroarty was selected 14th, five spots after Savoie. The price for McGroarty is lower when compared to what the Oilers paid for Savoie.
Kent Hughes can argue with his Jets counterpart about the value of Rutger McGroarty following the Oilers' trade. At the same time, Kevin Cheveldayoff is no rookie. He knows perfectly well that the Oilers' trade isn't advantageous for the Sabres in the medium to long term.
It's positive and good news for the Montreal Canadiens.
One thing is certain, Kent Hughes has many cards to play to make a trade that could land him a young prospect in the vein of Savoie and McGroarty.
Credit: Marqueur
Trade announcement with the Sabres: potential coup for the Canadiens
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Which team won the trade? | ||
| Oilers | 209 | 80.1 % |
| Sabres | 52 | 19.9 % |
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