According to the Buffalo News’ Lance Lysowski, the Buffalo Sabres are still waiting to see where top prospect Matthew Savoie will be playing next season. The team has petitioned the WHL to let Savoie out of the CHL-NHL agreement, making him eligible to be sent to the AHL this season, but has yet to receive approval. Notably, Shane Wright recently received this same exemption after efforts from the Seattle Kraken.
To be assigned to the AHL, a CHL player must either be 20 years old on or before December 31st of the season’s year or have registered four seasons in their league. Savoie misses the former cut-off by just one day, turning 20 on January 1st of next year. And while he hasn’t appeared in four CHL seasons, Savoie has played in 68 more juniors games than Wright.
The argument for Savoie seems clear but Lysowsky doesn’t anticipate that he’ll receive an exemption. One of his sources said that was likely a result of the Sabres working with the WHL, which has a different set of rules and approaches than Wright’s OHL. Savoie can instead turn his attention towards making the Sabres’ opening day roster, pushing for the roster spot left open by Jack Quinn’s recent Achille’s tendon injury.
If Savoie does have to return to the WHL, he’ll be joining the Wenatchee Wild, the WHL’s newest team formed after the sale of the Winnipeg Ice. Savoie would join fellow Sabres prospect Zach Benson and Arizona Coyotes prospect Conor Geekie on the new club.
This is ridiculous. The CHL has created a real mess here. How can they justify exemptions for some and not for others? I hope young players look elsewhere to advance their careers..
Wright would’ve played 4 seasons in the OHL if the pandemic hadn’t caused the 2020-21 season to be canceled. That’s why SEA was granted an exemption for him. Such is not the case with Savoie.
But I agree, the CHL agreement does hurt NHL prospects, and I hope the next agreement isn’t set up the same way. You’d think the top pro league in the world would have the upper hand, but I digress.
CHL welfare has to stop. The whole junior system is antiquated.
How about an aptitude/maturity test. Can we still afford to streamline our benchmarking for every unique individual? Every body grows differently and every one learns at different paces. This rule is draconian at best.
I say appeal to the hospital he was born at. Maybe their clocks were off and he was a December baby….
One day…cummon NHL. You just let Wright get the deal. This kid is legit