The dual offer sheets and subsequent loss of Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway blew a hole in the Edmonton Oilers’ department of youth.
The youngest players on the NHL roster are new acquisitions Vasily Podkolzin (23) and Ty Emberson (24). All other Oilers playing in 2024-25 are 25 or older.
The pall cast by the Blues’ offer sheet wizardry didn’t completely catch the organization off guard.
Two summer trades are showing signs of delivering young talent that is quality and comes with a satisfactory cap hit.
Taking a risk
When the Oilers trade for another NHL team’s still developing recent first-round pick, there is danger.
No team knew Matt Savoie’s strengths and weaknesses better than the Buffalo Sabres on the day of the trade, so in sending centre Ryan McLeod east the Oilers were making a bet on their own scouting and analytics departments.
This can backfire, as seen at the 2015 draft when former Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli dealt two early picks for New York Islanders defence prospect Griffin Reinhart.
Edmonton’s scouting staff had followed Reinhart closely in junior, almost drafting him in 2012, and scratched an itch three years later in the deal with New York.
The intel from the Oilers side didn’t include precise information on Reinhart’s struggles in the AHL in 2014-15, or it was disregarded. Independent reporting on the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in that season was damning. He wasn’t fast enough to have the same impact in the AHL as he had enjoyed with the WHL Edmonton Oil Kings.
The deal was a disaster and devastated the build around Connor McDavid in one fell swoop.
Savoie’s strengths
Savoie was drafted No. 9 by Buffalo in 2022 amid glowing reviews from all scouting sources.
Corey Pronman at The Athletic ranked him No. 8: “Savoie is a very talented scorer, is an excellent passer, who can run a power play, hit seams at a high rate and make tough plays under duress. He has very good hands to maneuver in traffic. He has good speed to beat opponents wide and he has a shot that can score from range. Savoie lacks ideal NHL size, but he competes hard and wins a surprising amount of battles for his size.”
Meanwhile, Scott Wheeler at The Athletic had Savoie at No. 4: “There isn’t a player in this draft class whose game thrills more than Savoie’s does when he’s firing. Inside the offensive zone, he’s lethal. He’s got extremely quick side-to-side hands that help him beat defenders one-on-one off of cuts. He’s got an NHL shot (which he can place with pinpoint accuracy from a bad angle and rip by a goalie clean from a distance, but he also loves to change up and slide five-hole). He does an excellent job creating plays to the slot out of traffic. He’s a burning skater with explosiveness that allows him to win races, separate in transition, and put defenders onto their heels.”
Savoie completed his junior career in the spring and is now playing with the AHL Bakersfield Condors.
I like to use statistically comparable players from the past to get an idea about a young prospect’s possible hockey future. Here are some comparables for Savoie based on his draft year.
| Player | Year | Pts-Game |
|---|---|---|
|
2013-14 |
1.641 |
|
|
2021-22 |
1.385 |
|
|
2016-17 |
1.362 |
|
|
2014-15 |
1.295 |
|
|
2015-16 |
1.246 |
|
|
2018-19 |
1.235 |
Savoie’s comparables are a strong group going back one decade. The only name on this list that is miles clear of Savoie is Leon Draisaitl. That’s an extremely high bar for any prospect, but Savoie is ahead of several quality NHL players who are further along in their respective careers.
Excluding Draisaitl, the remaining names on the list have averaged 18-34-52 per 82 games in their NHL careers.
One other comparable, Logan Stankhoven, isn’t listed here because his numbers were delivered in the pandemic season and are not credible as a true reflection of WHL competition in the past 10 years.
Taking a different risk
Roby Jarventie is a talented forward who posts solid offensive numbers wherever he plays — when healthy.
Jarventie had experienced knee issues before having surgery earlier in 2024, and his recovery made the trade to Edmonton in the summer high risk.
On the other hand, the Oilers paid a discounted price for Jarventie in hopes he would recover and play with his usual abandon.
Jarventie missed all of training camp and did not step on the ice during preseason or the early portion of Bakersfield’s AHL regular season schedule.
On Friday night, Jarventie returned and had a sudden impact on a line with Savoie and veteran skill winger Seth Griffith.
He has good hands and can win battles, with foot speed the worry coming out of the draft.
The bigger worry with this player is injury.
If Jarventie enjoys good health over the next several years, the Oilers will have been paid in full for the risky acquisition of a player recovering from injury.
Bottom line
The acquisition of Savoie reset the cap situation in a key area.
McLeod is a young and effective No. 3 centre in the NHL. That’s a foundation piece for a team (there are 12: top two lines and pairings, starting goalie and third-line centre) and McLeod is on a value deal ($2.5 million) for one more year.
The big payday comes in the year after.
For the Oilers, Savoie is a prospect who could also serve in a foundation role (No. 1 or No. 2 right winger) with the risk coming both in the delayed arrival (Savoie may be ready later this year or, more likely, in 2025-26) and the player’s ability to make the jump from junior to pro.
He could serve that role as a value contract for several years stretching across the rest of the decade.
After seven games with the Condors, Savoie sits 2-3-5 with an even-strength goal share of 5-2 (71 percent). His quickness and passing ability have been strengths in the early portion of the season, and his 12 shots on goal suggest he’s getting chances in good offensive locations.
Jarventie played on Friday night and delivered a pleasing performance across three periods. He picked up a pair of assists and was in the play constantly.
Talent and level of performance were never the issue, but it’s impressive to see Jarventie deliver out of the box at the beginning of his 2024-25 season.
The Oilers are in a tough spot in procurement. Picks are being sent away at each deadline and that means losing ground every summer at the draft.
In the same way a team that’s behind a goal or two has to take risks, Edmonton’s two summer trades were designed to take on risk in hopes Savoie and Jarventie delivered on considerable promise.
Early days are promising.
(Photo of Roby Jarventie: Marc DesRosiers / USA Today)
