Sabres send 2022 first-round pick to WHL after just one game

Matthew Savoie’s time with the Sabres has come to an end quickly.  The Sabres announced that they have assigned the forward back major junior, sending him to WHL Wenatchee.

Savoie suffered an upper-body injury during Buffalo’s prospect tournament, one that kept him out through the start of the season.  Once he was cleared to return last month, he was eligible to be sent to AHL Rochester for a conditioning assignment even though age-wise, he isn’t eligible to play there on regular assignment; a request from the Sabres to give him an exemption was denied.

The 19-year-old fared well with the Americans on that assignment, picking up two goals and three assists in six games, prompting Buffalo to recall him to their active roster.  He made his NHL debut Friday night with Alex Tuch out of the lineup but played just 3:55, a sign that his stay in the NHL might be short-lived.

Savoie now returns to junior, a level he dominated last season with 38 goals and 57 assists in just 62 games with Winnipeg; that organization moved to Wenatchee for this year.  He will be ineligible to be recalled to Buffalo barring emergency circumstances for the remainder of his junior season; once his campaign there comes to an end, Savoie would be eligible to play for Rochester if the Americans are still playing at that time.

Savoie is in the first season of his entry-level deal which carries a $918K AAV.  That contract will now slide for a second and final time at the end of the year, meaning he should come into training camp in 2024 with three years still left on that deal at a slightly lower cap charge.