Now that the Buffalo Sabres have prospect Matt Savoie in Rochester, there is a likelihood that he will make his debut in the AHL.
For seemingly the entire playoffs, I’ve been talking about the Jiri Kulich & Isak Rosen Show. But am I about to rename it the Kulich, Rosen, & Savoie Show? Hey, it’s very possible that Matt Savoie, who the Buffalo Sabres recently assigned to practice with the Rochester Americans, could find himself making his AHL debut at some point during this Conference Final against the Hershey Bears.
Savoie, who absolutely crushed it with the Winnipeg Ice of the WHL with 95 points in 65 regular season games and an additional 29 in 19 playoff games could definitely be an upgrade to the Amerks lineup. If he earns a spot, that is.
Ordinarily, anyone playing under the CHL umbrella, which comprises the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL may not play in the AHL unless they turn 20. However, this rule does not apply during the postseason, which would allow Savoie to see action if the Amerks coaching staff deems him ready to go.
Will Buffalo Sabres prospect Matt Savoie make his AHL debut?
It really depends whether he gets acclimated to the game. The AHL is a rung higher than the junior leagues, so there could be a learning curve here. However, if you flash back to late last summer when Savoie competed against some AHL talents during the 2022 Prospects Challenge, he was one of the more productive players on the ice, so he has a taste of what to expect if he’s indeed called on to try and help the Amerks reach the Calder Cup Final.
While it would be tempting to see Savoie take the ice alongside the likes of Kulich, Rosen, Lukas Rousek, Tyson Kozak, and Filip Cederqvist, it’s still important to remember that this is a playoff series, and that must come first for the Amerks. So if Savoie proves good enough to see AHL action, then great, he deserves a chance.
Update: 11:22 am: Per the Tweet from Lance Lysowski of Buffalo News, it strongly implies Savoie will see playing time.
Rochester Americans coach Seth Appert:
— Lance Lysowski (@LLysowski) May 22, 2023
“Matt Savoie is here to play and when we get him acclimated, we’ll see him in the lineup.”
But if head coach Seth Appert and Company don’t believe he’s ready, they should not feel obligated to play him. My prediction: I honestly think we may see Savoie play, but I won’t be disappointed if he didn’t see any in-game action.
Source: Sabres prospect Matt Savoie will have opportunity to earn spot in Amerks’ lineup by Lance Lysowski, BuffaloNews.com
(Statistics provided by Elite Prospects)