The Edmonton Oilers traded forward Ryan McLeod and farmhand Tyler Tullio to the Buffalo Sabres on Friday in exchange for prospect Matt Savoie.
The swift-skating McLeod, 24, set career highs for the Oilers last season with 12 goals and 18 assists in 81 games. He added four goals in 24 playoff games, including three in the Stanley Cup final.
The 20-year-old centre Savoie, from St. Albert, Alta, was Buffalo’s first selection (ninth overall) in the 2022 NHL Draft.
Last season, he split time between Buffalo, the AHL’s Rochester Americans, and the WHL’s Wenatchee Wild before finishing with the Moose Jaw Warriors.
He recorded 19 goals and 28 assists in 23 regular-season games with Moose Jaw, and added 10 goals and 14 assists in the playoffs, helping the Warriors win the WHL championship.
Tullio, a 22-year-old right-winger, played the last two campaigns with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, tallying nine goals and 12 assists in 54 games last season.