The Edmonton Oilers have been in a scoring drought to start the season, but one of their former players is having no trouble finding the back of the net.
When the Oilers dealt forward Ryan McLeod to the Buffalo Sabres over the summer, there was some risk involved. Edmonton got top prospect Matthew Savoie, which was a win, but with Savoie still being 20 and McLeod being an established NHLer, it acted as a straight subtraction from the Oilers roster.
The hope was that re-signing Adam Henrique would help fill the void of McLeod’s absence while also opening up some additional cap space. Yet, the early returns on the deal have looked great for the Sabres and less so for the Oilers.
McLeod has found a way to score in four straight games with Buffalo, and his four goals this season are more than those of any Edmonton player.
Ryan McLeod has goals in four straight 🔥 pic.twitter.com/NF0ySGqZZh
— The Charging Buffalo (@TheChargingBUF) October 23, 2024
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are currently tied for the Oilers’ lead in goals with three apiece. Two of McDavid’s goals came against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night.
Savoie has yet to appear in an NHL game with the Oilers and is currently playing in the AHL with the Bakersfield Condors, where he has a goal and three points in four games. There is a chance that Savoie will be called up to the Oilers at some point this season, but it’s not a guarantee.
The hot start for McLeod has him set up perfectly to have a career year with the Sabres. This torrid scoring pace will not continue throughout an entire season, but he now has a decent chance of surpassing his career-high of 12 goals, which he scored with the Oilers last season. He needs just nine more goals to make his debut Sabres season the best of his career.
We’ll have to wait and see if McLeod continues to make the Oilers regret trading him.