Insider reveals puzzling detail of Oilers and Sabres trade

According to Tom Gazzola, the Buffalo Sabres were actually the team that tabled prospect Matthew Savoie in the deal for Ryan McLeod - the Oilers didn't ask for him first.

With Savoie being such a highly ranked prospect, it was believed more so that the Oilers were able to pull of a steal by prying away Savoie from the Sabres. Instead, it appears that the team was giving up on him as a prospect, and prioritizing their bottom six this year.

According to Jason Gregor, the Buffalo Sabres thought that Savoie was injury prone, which led to them deciding to move him. However, he'd only missed time after one NHL game, and he was gone for only weeks. Other than that, he had an incredible WHL season and led his team to a championship.

There are some concerns about his 5'9 frame translating to the NHL, but everyone's seen smaller forwards succeed. The Oilers are betting on Savoie's skill and offensive gifts developing into a legitimate threat in the NHL, and they only gave up a young bottom six forward to do so. Given the fact Savoie instantly became the Oilers top prospect, it's already looking like a fantastic trade.

Source: Tom Gazzola