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The Edmonton Oilers are trading forward Ryan McLeod to the Buffalo Sabres. The news broke on day five of NHL free agency, with insider Elliotte Friedman sharing the first update.
Friedman wrote in a post on X:
"Ryan McLeod is being traded from Edmonton to Buffalo."
According to Sportsnet’s Friedman, the trade is part of the Sabres' strategy to strengthen their middle and bottom-six forward lines.
McLeod, who is entering the final year of a two-year, $4.2 million contract is expected to play a crucial role in this plan. The Oilers will receive forward prospect Matt Savoie from the Sabres and will also send Tyler Tullio to Buffalo as part of the deal.
NHL fans quickly started reacting to McLeod's trade on X.
"Imagine never making the playoffs again," one fan sarcastically remarked.
"MY PRAYERS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED HAHAHAHA DONT LET THE DOOR HIT YA ON THE WAY OUT," another fan shared.
"Probably just traded the farm for a guy that has a career high of 12 goals..," one fan said.
Fans had different perspectives on McLeod's trade. Some believe it is a good decision whereas others think that most good NHL players from Canada are getting traded to the States. Here are some more reactions from fans on X:
"This is always what the NHL does. Ship a good Canadian player to the states," a fan said.
"So E. Kane is healthy and unwilling to waive his NMC then," another fan speculated.
"Oilers need more one dimensional forwards like skinner and less glue guys that can defend!" a fan said.
"He brings a lot of good things, but at the end of the day, he was a bit of a non-factor in the playoffs and didn't engage enough. This has been an issue for years, and only so many players can be on a cap team. A tough cut, but it became predictable after July 1st," one fan explained in detail.
Reason behind Ryan McLeod's trade out of Edmonton
The Edmonton Oilers traded Ryan McLeod and Ty Tullio to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Matt Savoie, as reported by Jason Gregor of Sports 1440 Edmonton. The move aims to clear McLeod's $2.1 million cap hit for the 2024-25 season.
Despite a solid previous season with 12 goals and 30 points in 81 games, McLeod was likely to be demoted to the fourth line. This is after Edmonton re-signed Adam Henrique and free agents Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner. McLeod is expected to compete for a role on Buffalo's third line.
