Per Elliotte Friedman, and confirmed by several others, the Buffalo Sabres have traded prospect forward Matt Savoie to the Edmonton Oilers. The reported return is forward Ryan McLeod and AHL forward Tyler Tullio.
The team has now confirmed the deal:
McLeod, 24, is likely the Sabres’ new third-line center. A Mississauga native, he was drafted by the Oilers in 2018 with the 40th overall pick. This past season, he set career highs in goals (12), assists (18) and points (30) in 81 games played. He also had four goals in 24 playoff games. To date, he has 75 points in 219 NHL regular-season games in his career.
Ryan’s brother Matt played locally for Canisius University (then Canisius College) from 2015-2019. Their other brother Michael is one of the players facing charges in the Hockey Canada sexual assault case.
Tullio, 22, was drafted by Edmonton with the 126th overall selection in 2020. He’s spent the last two seasons in the AHL with the Bakersfield Condors, including notching 21 points in 54 games.
Savoie, a native of St. Albert, Alberta, joins the Oilers organization after a season that saw him play mostly in the WHL, where he had 71 points in 34 games between Wenatchee and Moose Jaw. He also notched five points in six AHL games with the Rochester Americans and made his NHL debut in one game.