The Buffalo Sabres acquired forward Ryan McLeod in a trade with the Edmonton Oilers on Friday, getting an established NHL player fresh off a long playoff run in exchange for one of the organization’s top prospects.
Buffalo received McLeod and minor leaguer Tyler Tullio from the Western Conference champions in exchange for 20-year-old center Matthew Savoie. McLeod scored four goals in 24 playoff games and Edmonton reached the Stanley Cup final before losing to Florida.
McLeod signed for $2.1 million for next season. Moments after completing the trade, the Sabres re-signed defenseman Henri Jokiharju to a one-year, $3.1 million contract.
They haven’t made the playoffs since 2011, a 13-year drought that is the longest of any team in the league.
Savoie was the ninth pick in the 2022 draft and made his NHL debut in November. It’s his only game so far at that level after splitting his time last season between junior hockey and the minors.
In other moves, the Seattle Kraken agreed to a two-year, $6.95 million contract with restricted free agent Eeli Tolvanen. The player will count $3.475 million against the salary cap through the 2025-26 season.
Tolvanen, a first-round draft pick by Nashville in 2017, found a home in Seattle after the Kraken claimed him off waivers early in the 2022-23 season. Tolvanen has primarily played on the line with Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand and has 32 goals and 36 assists in 129 games with the team over the past two seasons.
Last season, Tolvanen set career highs with 41 points and 25 assists.
The signing of Tolvanen leaves center Matty Beniers as Seattle’s only remaining restricted free agent. Beniers, the Calder Trophy winner as rookie of the year in 2022-23, had a disappointing second full season with Seattle with 37 points in 77 games.
Seattle also signed first-round draft pick Berkly Catton to a three-year contract. Catton was selected No. 8 overall in last month’s draft after scoring 116 points (54 goals, 62 assists) in 68 regular-season games for the Western Hockey League’s Spokane Chiefs last season.
Washington also signed its first-round pick to his entry-level contract, a three-year deal for No. 17 pick Terik Parascak that counts $975,000 against the salary cap annually.