Oilers Prospect Matt Savoie's Time Has Come
The Oilers' best prospect since Evan Bouchard is on the doorstep of the major leagues. Every team faces the problem of supplementing their core with cheap players as the core becomes more expensive.
The answer to this problem is prospects. For example, the Boston Bruins have stayed at the top of the league for years because David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, and Jeremy Swayman rose up to replace Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara, and Tuukka Rask.
The Dallas Stars are on their third wave of prospects, with Wyatt Johnston, Thomas Harley, and Logan Stankoven making their names in the NHL. In contrast, the Oilers have struggled to develop their prospects, with none of their first-round picks since 2019 still in the organization.
This led to the trade of Ryan McLeod for Buffalo Sabres prospect Matt Savoie over the summer, which looks like it's about to pay off.
Supplementing the core with cheap players is crucial as the core becomes more expensive.
Author's summary: Matt Savoie is nearing his NHL debut.