Buffalo Sabres acquire forward Ryan McLeod in trade with Edmonton Oilers

The Buffalo Sabres acquired forward Ryan McLeod in a trade with the Edmonton Oilers on Friday, getting an established NHL player coming off a deep playoff run in exchange for one of the organization’s top prospects.

Buffalo received McLeod and minor leaguer Tyler Tullio from the Western Conference champions in exchange for 20-year-old center Matthew Savoie. McLeod scored four goals in 24 playoff games as Edmonton reached the Stanley Cup Final before losing to Florida.

McLeod signed a $2.1 million contract for next season. The Sabres, moments after making the trade, re-signed defenseman Henri Jokiharju to a one-year, $3.1 million deal.

They haven’t made the playoffs since 2011, a 13-year drought that’s the longest of any team in the league.

Savoie was the ninth overall pick in the 2022 draft and made his NHL debut in November. This is his only game at the NHL level so far after splitting time last season between junior hockey and the minor leagues.

Buffalo goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and recent trade acquisition Beck Malenstyn were among 14 players who elected salary arbitration, a list that includes New York Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren and Carolina forwards Martin Necas and Jack Drury.

In other transactions, the Seattle Kraken agreed to terms with restricted free agent Eeli Tolvanen on a two-year, $6.95 million contract. He will count $3.475 million against the salary cap through the 2025-26 season.

A first-round pick by Nashville in 2017, Tolvanen found a home in Seattle after the Kraken claimed him off waivers at the start of the 2022-23 season. Tolvanen has played primarily on a line with Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand and has 32 goals and 36 assists in 129 games with the team over the past two seasons.

Last season, Tolvanen set career highs with 41 points and 25 assists.

The Tolvanen signing leaves center Matty Beniers as Seattle’s only remaining restricted free agent. Beniers, the Calder Trophy winner as rookie of the year in 2022-23, had a disappointing second full season with Seattle with 37 points in 77 games.

Seattle also signed first-round draft pick Berkly Catton to a three-year, entry-level contract. Catton was selected eighth overall in last month’s draft after scoring 116 points (54 goals, 62 assists) in 68 regular-season games for the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League last season.

Washington also signed its first-round pick to his entry-level contract, a three-year deal for 17th-round pick Terik Parascak that carries $975,000 per year under the cap.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/LNH