Analyst Predicts When Edmonton Oilers Will Call Up Top Prospect Matthew Savoie

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Liam McCormick
November 26, 2024 (3:29 PM)

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The Edmonton Oilers are going through a minor injury crisis at forward, but according to new reports, top prospect Matthew Savoie won't be called up for some time.

Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Athletic explained that the Oilers want Savoie to get consistent playing time in the AHL for the first half of the season at least, before he sees the NHL.

»The plan is to have Savoie play the first half of the season in the AHL as a first-year pro and go from there. He won't be recalled before then unless the Oilers are in dire straits»
- Daniel Nugent-Bowman

This patient approach with Savoie makes sense, even though Oilers fans may want to see his skill infused in the lineup now.

The Oilers acquired Matthew Savoie from the Buffalo Sabres in the offseason in exchange for Ryan McLeod. Savoie was drafted 9th overall in 2022, but his draft stock has fallen since then - partly because of the Sabres' treatment of Savoie.

In the 2023-24 season, Savoie played for 4 different teams in 3 different leagues. Settling him down in one environment and allowing him some consistency to hone his skills is the best thing for Savoie's development, not rushing him back to the NHL.

After a bit of a slow start with the Condors this season, Savoie's production has begun to pick up. Oilers prospect expert Bruce Curlock has been impressed with Savoie's game, and confident that he will be able to produce in the NHL.

Oilers analyst Alan Mitchell evaluated Savoie's game recently, and found his offensive results to be on track to be an NHL player.

»In the early days of the 2024-25 season he's producing more even-strength points-game than any of the recent prominent Condors forwards at the same age.»
- Alan Mitchell, the Athletic

His offensive talent is clear to anyone watching the games, like his shootout winning goal from earlier this week.

The Oilers are facing significant injury problems at the moment with Zach Hyman and Victor Arvidsson out, but for now, the Oilers seem on weathering the storm with only 11 forwards in the lineup most nights.

If someone does get called up for now, it's more likely to be Noah Philp, Drake Caggiula, or another depth player instead of Savoie.

At this point, running 11 forwards every night seems to be tiring out veterans like Corey Perry and Derek Ryan, and there's more desire to scratch or send down one of the veterans for a change of pace in the bottom six.

Hopefully Savoie makes the most out of this development time with the Bakersfield Condors, and can impress the Oilers enough into giving him a call up late in the season. As a player with high end offensive upside, it's possible he could get off to a hot start when he reaches the NHL.