Buffalo Sabres News and Rumors: Savoie, McLeod, Jokiharju and More – The Hockey Writers – Buffalo Sabres

In this edition of Buffalo Sabres News & Rumors, we look back at an eventful day on July 5. The Sabres traded star prospect Matthew Savoie to the Edmonton Oilers, added Ryan McLeod and Tyler Tullio, re-signed Henri Jokiharju and two restricted free agents filed for arbitration.

Sabres trade top prospect to Oilers

It’s rare for a team that hasn’t made the playoffs in many years to trade one of its top prospects. Some believe Savoie was the best; others believe he was a top three prospect; either way, a prospect of his stature isn’t traded often.

Savoie was drafted ninth overall in the 2022 NHL Draft and has since propelled his name to arguably the top five prospects in that class.

Savoie played the majority of his season in the Western Hockey League (WHL), his fourth season. Over those three years, Savoie played in 161 games and tallied an exceptional 256 points. Savoie was among the best in the WHL in points per game, including leading the league in 2023-24. After dominating the WHL, Savoie signed with the Sabres to join the organization and had the opportunity to play one game in the NHL and six games in the American Hockey League (AHL).

Related: Oilers trade Ryan McLeod to Sabres for prospect Matt Savoie

His five points in six AHL games are impressive and this player has a lot of talent. He will likely transition to the wing in the NHL, or at least that seemed to be the Sabres’ plan. As for the Oilers, they may have a different development path in mind.

The arrival of McLeod and Tullio

The Sabres’ goal was clearly to help the team now. Savoie 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. Getting rid of star prospects isn’t ideal, but that’s not what happened with this trade.

McLeod is coming off a breakout season with the Oilers, where he scored 30 points in 81 games. At just 24, McLeod still has potential to become a more complete player. The Oilers’ depth of attack made McLeod expendable in the playoffs, and after signing Jeff Skinner, Adam Henrique and the uncertainty of Evander Kane, they were ready to move on. At a minimum, McLeod will be a solid, penalty-killing sixth-line center.

A sixth-tier center is a perfect fit for McLeod. With more room to grow on the roster, McLeod could take advantage of that opportunity and shine with the Sabres. He won’t become a first-line, point-per-game center, but if he can increase his production with more ice time, there’s a good chance he can become a 45-point or more two-way center that the club really values.

Tullio, meanwhile, is a former fifth-round pick of the Oilers and after dominating the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in his third season, he made the transition to the AHL. His production wasn’t as good as some would have hoped, but Tullio scored at a pace of just under half a point per game as a center winger for the Bakersfield Condors.

This player’s value may not be as good as it is, even on the surface, and this trade may be difficult to assess, but a prospect is never a sure thing. Savoie was pretty close to a prospect, but he hasn’t proven anything at the NHL level, and the Sabres were willing to take a chance on this trade.

Sabres bring back Jokiharju

The Sabres re-signed Jokiharju to a one-year, $3.1 million contract. While many point out that this is too much money, the Sabres still have plenty of room under the salary cap. With few to no high-level free agents, they have the ability to make this signing to avoid arbitration.

Jokiharju is a great depth defender who is versatile enough to play higher up the lineup and can keep up with top defenders. Still, he isn’t strong enough defensively to be a true defensive defenseman, nor can he produce enough offense to be a top-four option. He’s not very physical either, but he can move the puck well enough and helps in transition. His puck-moving ability doesn’t translate to the scoresheet often, but he adds value to the lineup.

Having a defender like Jokiharju helps because you can put him anywhere and he’ll play the same game. Ideally you’d like a more reliable defender, but as a potential number six or seven defender, he’s perfectly fine in that role.

Luukkonen and Malenstyn request arbitration

The 5 p.m. deadline on July 5 for player arbitration has passed, and two Sabres players have requested to meet with an impartial arbitrator to finalize a deal. That means neither player is eligible for an offer sheet at this time.

A deal can still be made until the player and team submit to arbitration, which is often the case. Arbitration is hard on players because the team will find as many reasons as possible to express a lower value for a player and avoid the positives.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is one of the players, or in this case, goalies, who has applied. After a breakout year with the Sabres, he deserves a significant raise to his $837,500 salary in 2023-24. His 27-22-4 record and .910 save percentage have shown he can be a starting goalie. The Sabres signed James Reimer and Felix Sandstrom to add depth to their goaltending corps and have star prospect Devon Levi looking to break into the NHL full-time, so the Sabres will likely avoid a long-term contract unless they can keep the salary cap low.

Beck Malenstyn, who was recently acquired at the draft, finished his first full NHL season with 25 points in 81 games. He was acquired to add depth to the offense, and his skating, physicality and ability to draw penalties are assets the Sabres have drawn interest in. He has also filed for arbitration, but with a contract coming in with a relatively low salary cap, it’s more likely that will be settled before the arbitrator meets.

Again, it was a busy day in Buffalo, but these moves add depth and create competition within the lineup. Having enough depth to have a mix of proven NHLers and big league prospects competing for a roster spot creates more motivation for players, and the Sabres do a great job of making sure their bottom six and four are competitive, and they have plenty of options.