Savoie joins a deep forward group in Edmonton, led by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The Oilers reached Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last season, losing 2-1 to the Florida Panthers. Edmonton re-signed forwards Connor Brown, Corey Perry, Mattias Janmark and Adam Henrique and added free agents Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner to the group.
“It’s exciting,” Savoie said. “Watching the playoff run they went on and being around the city and the buzz, it’s exciting to come to this team right now. You look at the roster and the additions they made in the summer and they’re going for it at every point this year, so it’s exciting to come to this kind of group and hopefully I’ll get a good opportunity.”
As a top-10 draft pick, Savoie was expected to be a big part of Buffalo’s future, but he said he wasn’t too surprised to be traded just over two years later. The Sabres have not qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs since the 2010-11 season.
“I think it was a good situation in Buffalo and I think they have a ton of young prospects right now that are kind of on the cusp of making it to the League,” Savoie said. “So, I think they had to move a couple of guys out and try to make their team better now and get some older players, experienced players now. I understood it and I’m really excited to be with the Oilers now.”
As a prolific scorer at the junior level, Savoie is looking to transfer that offensive prowess to the NHL. He will be healthy entering training camp and will battle for a roster spot with the Oilers.
“I think I like to play really fast, I think the game at a high level as well,” Savoie said. “I’m looking for the best opportunity to put the puck in the net while being reliable on the defensive side as well.”
Despite Edmonton’s forward depth, Savoie feels he’s in the right place. The Oilers will be considered Stanley Cup contenders again this season with their core returning.
“I feel like throughout my junior career, every team I’ve been on we’ve had a chance to go all the way and made some really deep runs and it’s a lot of fun,” he said. “That’s when you want to be playing, is late in the year and fighting for championships. There’s no better spot I could have gone to, to compete for a championship.”
