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Buffalo Sabres: A closer look at Matt Savoie’s playoff tear

By Sion Fawkes

WINNIPEG, CANADA - MARCH 10: Matthew Savoie #93 of the Winnipeg ICE skates during third period action against the Edmonton Oil Kings at Wayne Fleming Arena on March 10, 2023 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. (Photo by Jonathan Kozub/Getty Images)
WINNIPEG, CANADA - MARCH 10: Matthew Savoie #93 of the Winnipeg ICE skates during third period action against the Edmonton Oil Kings at Wayne Fleming Arena on March 10, 2023 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. (Photo by Jonathan Kozub/Getty Images) /
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The Buffalo Sabres should have Matt Savoie well on their radar to make the jump next season, given his recent tear in the 2023 Playoffs. 

We know Buffalo Sabres prospect Matt Savoie had a remarkable season with the Winnipeg Ice. No, he didn’t post Connor Bedard numbers, but then again, few are capable of that. However, he scored 95 points, 38 goals, and 57 assists in 62 games, giving him slightly better stats than the season before that ended up making him the ninth overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft.

But when it came to the playoffs this season, Savoie took his game to another level. In 14 playoff games, the Sabres prospect scored 27 points, 11 goals, and 16 assists, and he became more than a pivotal reason of why the Ice are heading to the WHL Championship after posting series wins against the Medicine Hat Tigers, Moose Jaw Warriors, and Saskatoon Blades.

Overall, Savoie’s playoff tear could end up with his team taking the WHL Championship against either the Seattle Thunderbirds, or the Kamloops Blazers. If Savoie’s legendary performance continues, you can expect him to be a clear front runner to join the Sabres main roster next season.

Will Matt Savoie snag a spot on the Buffalo Sabres in 2023-24?

For a while now, this debate has raged about whether Savoie will get the gig, or if it will go to Jiri Kulich, who helped the Rochester Americans stave off elimination against the Syracuse Crunch after he missed the first two games of the Calder Cup Playoffs (both losses). One of the two will likely replace winger Victor Olofsson, given the latter’s one-dimensional play, and Kulich has made his case as of late.

However, look for Savoie, and not Kulich, to be the ultimate winner here if someone’s replacing Olofsson. Savoie is the younger prospect, and is therefore not eligible to play in the AHL thanks to the rule prohibiting CHL players (WHL, OHL, QMJHL) from playing for their respective team’s AHL affiliates until they turn 20. They can, however, join the NHL.

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This isn’t to say Kulich won’t be on the team, as injuries occur, and there is also the fact the Buffalo Sabres still need to re-sign Kyle Okposo and Zemgus Girgensons. While they are interested in bringing the duo back, if one of them indeed walks, or in Okposo’s case, retires, then that will open the door for Kulich.

(Statistics provided by Elite Prospects)

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