Oilers snatch top prospect Savoie from Buffalo

 

In exchange for one of the team's best prospects, the Buffalo Sabres acquired winger Ryan McLeod from the Edmonton Oilers on Friday. McLeod is an established NHL player who recently had a successful playoff run.

In exchange for 20-year-old center Matthew Savoie, the Western Conference winners sent McLeod and minor leaguer Tyler Tullio to Buffalo. In 24 postseason games, McLeod scored four goals to help Edmonton reach the Stanley Cup Final before falling to Florida.

McLeod has a $2.1 million contract for the upcoming campaign. Shortly after the trade was made, the Sabres re-signed defenseman Henri Jokiharju to a $3.1 million, one-year deal.
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They have the longest playoff drought of any team in the league, having missed the playoffs for 13 years running since 2011.

Savoie made his NHL debut in November after being selected ninth overall in the 2022 draft. After playing in both the minor leagues and junior hockey last season, it is his sole game at that level to date.

Among the 14 players that choose salary arbitration were Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen of Buffalo, new trade acquisition Beck Malenstyn, and defender Ryan Lindgren of the New York Rangers, as well as forwards Martin Necas and Jack Drury of Carolina.


In other transactions, the Seattle Kraken reached an agreement to pay $6.95 million for two years of restricted free agent Eeli Tolvanen's contract. Through the 25–26 season, $3.475 million of his pay will be deducted from the salary ceiling.

 A first-round pick by Nashville in 2017, Tolvanen found a home in Seattle after the Kraken claimed him off waivers early in 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.

Tolvanen’s 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 pick Berkly Catton to a three-year entry-level contract. Catton was selected with the No. 8 pick in last month’s draft after posting 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-rounder to his entry-level contract, a three-year deal for No. 17 pick Terik Parascak that counts $975,000 against the cap annually.