Prior to today, Matt Savoie was supposed to enter Edmonton Oilers training camp with an opportunity to establish himself as a full-time top-six forward.
The Oilers announced Wednesday that Savoie will not participate in training camp next month after suffering an injury during an offseason training session. Mattias Janmark, Alec Regula and Frederik Andersen will also miss camp. The Oilers have provided no timeline for when any of the four players will return.
The 22-year-old spent all of last season in the NHL and is well beyond just making Edmonton's roster. Most were waiting to see whether Mike Babcock would put him in the top six, potentially alongside Leon Draisaitl.
Now Babcock will begin putting his lines together without him.
Babcock has no previous relationship with most of Edmonton's players and will use September to determine combinations, special teams, and which forwards he trusts in different situations.
Vasily Podkolzin and Kasperi Kapanen were already Draisaitl's regular linemates. Isaac Howard is also in contention for such a spot. Any opening created by Savoie's absence gives somebody else more opportunities with Edmonton's best players.
If Babcock finds a combination he likes during camp and it carries into the regular season, Savoie could return to the bottom six. Coaches generally aren't eager to break apart a line that's producing simply because another player has recovered from injury, and Savoie could find himself working his way back into the top six instead of beginning the year there.
His absence could also change how Edmonton approaches the right side of its forward group. Savoie was most definitely going to get a chance to play there with Draisaitl, particularly after spending parts of last season there. The Oilers acquired him for Ryan McLeod and Tyler Tullio because they believed that by now, he would be outperforming what they lost. At some point, playing alongside Edmonton's most talented has to become part of that plan.
The team's statement only said updates will be provided when appropriate, suggesting his absence could carry over into the regular season.
If that happens, it's harder for him to work his way back up the lineup.
Missing two weeks of September is one thing. Returning after the season has started means entering into a lineup that has already been assembled, and potentially working very well. Savoie would also be returning from an injury without the benefit of preseason games to get himself ready for NHL games.
There is also no reason for Edmonton to rush him. Savoie is 22 years old and remains an important part of what the Oilers are building beyond this season. Getting him healthy carries more importance than getting him into the lineup for opening night, especially when the injury occurred early enough that Edmonton has time to adjust.
It's about what he loses while recovering, though.
Savoie entered this season with a chance to move higher in Edmonton's lineup. He wasn't coming to camp as a prospect hoping to survive the final round of cuts. He was coming to show Babcock where he belonged among the forwards who were already staying.
Someone else gets those minutes now.
Whether Savoie gets them back immediately when he's healthy will depend partly on what Edmonton finds while he's gone.
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