The NHL offseason is a time when front offices are supposed to be getting their ducks in a row, locking up crucial pieces, and preparing for the following season.
Clubs like the San Jose Sharks have wasted no time signing their young talent, with Macklin Celebrini having his extension finalized across the league. In Edmonton, meanwhile, the quiet surrounding one of the Oilers’ top young forwards is beginning to become a bit awkward.
Gerry Johannson, Matthew Savoie’s agent at The Sports Corporation, spoke with Bob Stauffer on Oilers Now this week and revealed a detail that should make every Edmonton fan raise an eyebrow: the Oilers and Savoie have not had any discussions about contract extensions so far. There wasn’t a single sit-down. No offer was floated. Absolutely nothing.
Why Risky Business Is Waiting in Edmonton
Take a second to consider that. Savoie just completed all 82 games for the Oilers, recording 37 points with 18 goals and 19 assists. He scored two shorthanded goals, five game winners, and five power play goals. Even during his final 10 games of the season, he maintained a high level of performance with five points, three of which were goals. And he accomplished everything on an entry-level contract with a cap hit of $886,667, and he consistently showed up. When compared to Savoie’s on-ice performance, the figure is incredibly low.
The Bowman that is being wagered is taking.
It looks like the Oilers have decided to wait and see what happens. Before making a decision about the kind of commitment they want to make, they need more information on Savoie. On the one hand, this is not entirely unreasonable. Edmonton wouldn’t want to be forced into an overpay if Savoie’s 37-point season turned out to be his maximum rather than his minimum. There is a genuine danger in making predictions about a player’s future based on a single successful season.
However, the price of confidence is nearly always more than the price of conviction. Bowman will pay a high price for the solutions if he holds off on buying them until he has them all. Mike Babcock, the new head coach who was hired in late June, is inheriting a team with young players who require a lot of money and time. The more complicated this becomes, the longer it remains.
Savoie is still happy to be in Edmonton and is patient, according to Johannson, which is promising. However, there are limits to how patient one may be, and the hockey world moves quickly. Savoie is currently waiting, as are Oilers supporters, and the front office appears to be paying attention to other issues. Bowman’s camp’s lack of urgency is difficult to comprehend for a general manager whose summer is characterized by choices of this sort. The apparent course of action is to get in front of this arrangement while the price is still fair, as every day that goes by without a discussion makes the impending negotiation much harder.
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