Savoie thrilled to be with hometown Oilers after being traded to Sabres

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 their playoff run and being in the city and seeing the excitement, it’s exciting to join this team right now. You look at the roster and the additions they made this summer and they’re ready for anything this year, so it’s exciting to join that type of group and hopefully get a good opportunity.”

As a top-10 draft pick, Savoie was expected to play a big role in Buffalo’s future, but he said he wasn’t too surprised to be traded just over two years later. The Sabres haven’t qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs since the 2010-11 season.

“I think the situation was good in Buffalo and I think they have a ton of young prospects right now that are on the verge of making it to the league,” Savoie said. “So I think they had to part ways with some guys and try to improve their team now and get some older players, some experienced players now. I understood that and I’m really excited to be with the Oilers now.”

As a prolific goal scorer at the junior level, Savoie is looking to transfer his offensive prowess to the NHL. He will be healthy at the start of training camp and will be battling for a roster spot with the Oilers.

“I think I like to play really fast, I think the game is at a high level too,” Savoie said. “I’m looking for the best opportunity to put the puck in the back of the net while being reliable on the defensive side as well.”

Despite Edmonton’s depth of attack, Savoie believes he’s in the right spot. The Oilers will be considered Stanley Cup contenders again this season with their core back.

“I feel like throughout my junior career, every team I’ve played on, we’ve had a chance to go all the way and have really good performances, and it’s a lot of fun,” he said. “That’s when you want to be playing, is at the end of the year and fighting for championships. I couldn’t have gone any further to compete for a championship.”