Edmonton Oilers trade Ryan McLeod, Tyler Tullio to Buffalo Sabres for Matt Savoie
The Edmonton Oilers have traded center Ryan McLeod and winger Tyler Tullio to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Matt Savoie.
#Oilers and #Sabres started talking about this deal last Friday, Round 1 at Draft and kept dialogue going.
Interesting deal, that’s for sure. McLeod has speed to burn, fits in with what Buffalo is building. Some think Savoie, an Edmonton native, may already be as good as McLeod. https://t.co/30ZtyLFH1l
The Oilers needed to clear out some cap space after the signings that they have made so far in the offseason, and it appears that McLeod was the expendable option for them. However, in return, they get the 2022 9th-overall selection in Savoie.
McLeod, 24, had 12 goals and 18 assists for 30 points in 81 games, which is a career-high for him in all three stats. He also had four goals in 24 games during the Oilers run to the Stanley Cup Final. He is entering the final year of his two-year, $2.1 million contract, and is set to be a restricted free agent in the 2025 offseason.
Tullio, 22, is also going to the Sabres in the deal. He spent the entirety of his 2023-24 season in the AHL with the Oilers’ minor league affiliate, the Bakersfield Condors, where he had 9 goals and 12 assists for 21 points in 54 games. He also was held pointless in two playoff games. He is entering the final year of his three-year, entry-level contract with an $823,333 cap hit, and will also be a restricted free agent in the 2025 offseason.
Savoie, 20, is the return for Edmonton. He spent a majority of his season in the WHL between the Wenatchee Wild and the Moose Jaw Warriors, where he had 30 goals and 41 assists for 71 points in just 34 games. He then went on to get 10 goals and 14 assists for 24 points in 19 games as the Warriors won the Ed Chynoweth Cup, and then had 1 goal and 3 assists for 4 points in 4 games during the Memorial Cup.
Savoie also spent some time in both professional leagues this season, going pointless in one game with the Sabres and then getting 2 goals and 3 assists for 5 points in 6 games in the AHL with the Sabres’ AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans. Since he hasn’t played enough hockey in the pros yet, his entry-level contract slides for another season, meaning he still has three years left at a $886,667 cap hit.