The 24-year-old center was acquired from Edmonton for Matthew Savoie last week
The Buffalo Sabres made moves at the NHL Draft and on July 1 to bolster their forward depth, trading with Washington for Beck Malenstyn, and signing free agents Jason Zucker, Sam Lafferty, and Nicolas Aube-Kubel, but the biggest move was the trade made with the Edmonton Oilers last week, swapping prospect Matthew Savoie for center Ryan McLeod and minor leaguer Tyler Tullio.
McLeod, fresh off the bitter pill of a Game 7 loss in the Stanley Cup Final late last month, met with the media on Wednesday and said he was caught by surprise when the trade was announced last Friday but is excited about the challenge of joining the Sabres and helping them snap their 13-year playoff drought.
“I’m super excited, I’m coming to a team where there is a lot of excitement around, and I think it’s going to be a great squad,” McLeod said.
The 24-year-old made his NHL debut in 2021 and played 219 games with the Oilers over four seasons, posting a career-high 30 points (12 goals, 18 assists) in 81 games last season. The Mississauga, ON native settled into a third-line center role this season, averaging over 50% on faceoffs, and in Edmonton’s run to the final, he was a key cog of the Oilers penalty killing unit that shut down the Florida Panthers power play over the seven-game series.
“(It's) important to start with the puck in a possession game, so anytime you can win a faceoff, it's huge." McLeod said."I try to play the game a lot of speed and pace. It's tough to get the puck back with so many good players in this league, so I try to hold on to it and keep the puck as much as I can....I got my confidence over the years to be able to make those plays and hold on to the puck."
Although he did not discuss any specifics about his role with head coach Lindy Ruff or GM Kevyn Adams after the trade, it is expected that McLeod will fit in on the Sabres third line next season, taking over the spot vacated by Casey Mittelstadt. Under Ruff, the expectation for Buffalo’s bottom six will be to be more difficult to play against and help the club be more accountable at both ends of the ice, but the Sabres will likely be looking for the big center to contribute more offensively than he had to playing behind superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in Edmonton.
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