Ryan McLeod was a godsend for the Sabres during a rough season in which they needed someone to step up and play a great game. He was so good that I even called him the product of Kevyn Adams’ smartest trade, not that there were many to choose from.
And yeah, I get it, he got Alex Tuch in the Jack Eichel trade and a brewing prospect named Devon Levi when he traded Sam Reinhart. But nobody came in and made as quick an impact with the Sabres following a trade as McLeod. And given his speed and overall tenacious approach, what we got shouldn’t have surprised us.
Grade: A - Yes, another ‘A’ grade for a team you wouldn’t think deserved many. But don’t worry, because of the lack of ‘B’ and ‘C’ players, it’ll even out. You just wait. But still, after many branded McLeod as a defensive forward who couldn’t put up points, he’s changed the narrative, and those critics are no longer talking.
Ryan McLeod’s 2024-25 season was a long-awaited breakout
Yeah, there was some fretting when the Sabres traded away Matt Savoie, who was supposed to be a future top-six player in Buffalo. By the time the Sabres traded Savoie, I was so impressed with what I saw that I probably would’ve cut my losses and moved him for Tyler Tullio only, and would’ve let McLeod stick around in Edmonton.
Fortunately for Sabres fans, Kevyn Adams knew otherwise and snagged McLeod, who awarded him with 53 points and 20 goals. He showed playmaking capability and was a force in all three zones, ending the year with a plus-13 and 16:50 of average total ice time. Oh, his shooting percentage was also a sparkling 20.3.
Oh, then there’s the fact he won 630 face-offs and put up a 52.3 face-off win percentage. If there’s anything the Sabres struggled with more than anything else, it was winning draws, and McLeod helped put an end to that.
He was nowhere near as physical as I would’ve thought, ending the year with just 17 hits, a mere fraction of what I was expecting. But if that was his only real shortcoming, I’ll take the win, and so will Kevyn Adams.
Will McLeod’s play evolve even more in 2205-26?
Now that everyone knows what McLeod is capable of, look for opponents to be ready for him next season. But still, with his speed and high-energy approach, he’s going to be tough to stop. So, his floor for a successful 2025-26 campaign is a 50-point, 20-goal season. He’ll be, at worst, a good supplementary slash playmaker, but the vibes say he’ll be better than that.
In a best-case scenario, McLeod turns his play up another notch and stays a step or two ahead of opponents. This means he can hit the 60-point range, setting a new career-high that he never would’ve achieved in Edmonton. And he’s still a young center, heading into what will be his age-26 season.
When you look at it, really, he’s an upgrade over Casey Mittelstadt, who played for the Sabres until March 2024. While Mittelstadt, now with the Boston Bruins, came into his own, he was a good, solid player. But McLeod’s effort, compete, and scoring prowess mean that the Sabres are better off with him in town while Mittelstadt resides in Boston and Savoie, in Edmonton.