Matt Savoie injury update: Sabres GM provides info on highly-rated prospect's return

By Cole Shelton

Modified Sep 21, 2023 16:46 GMT

Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams has provided an update on prospect Matt Savoie. The highly-rated prospect was drafted ninth overall in 2022 by the Sabres and is competing to make the NHL this season. He spent last year back in the WHL with the Winnipeg Ice where he scored 95 points in 62 games.

During the opening minute of the Buffalo’s Prospects Challenge final game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Savoie suffered an injury and left the game. Kevyn Adams says the imaging came back as a "best-case scenario" for the 19-year-old. But, Buffalo is still listing him as week-to-week with an upper-body injury according to an official report via NHL.com.

“I think there’s a chance (he skates in training camp)," Adams said ahead of training camp. "I don’t think this week is likely and then we’ll kind of re-evaluate. I know he’s begging, but we’ll have to kind of take it week by week here.”

The hope for Matt Savoie is he can participate in some pre-season games as he's looking to make the NHL roster. If Savoie does not make the NHL roster and returns to the WHL, he isn't allowed to be called up this year and instead would have to spend the entire season in the WHL.

However, before the injury happened, Kevyn Adams was impressed with how Matt Savoie was playing in the rookie camp.

“From a playing standpoint, I loved the way he was skating, competing. Really impactful shift to shift through the rookie tournament,” Adams said.

The Sabres will have their first pre-season game on Sept. 24 against the Washington Capitals.

Matt Savoie's junior career

Matt Savoie started playing for the Winnipeg Ice when he was 16 years old, and in his first season, the Canadian skated in 22 games recording seven assists.

In his first full season with the Ice, Savoie skated in 65 games and recorded 90 points. In his WHL career, Savoie has played in 149 games and recorded 192 points.

Although Savoie still has junior eligibility, NHL reporter Darren Dreger reported Buffalo could look to do something similar to what the Seattle Kraken did with Shane Wright last year.

Wright played eight games in the NHL, so he didn't burn the first year of his entry-level deal and then went on a conditioning stint in the AHL. Once the conditioning stint was over, he was loaned to Team Canada for the World Juniors.

That could be a realistic option for Savoie, as he could use some more development, and in this scenario would get time in the AHL.