Savoie returns to practice with Sabres

Matt Savoie made it a point to stay involved while he recovered from the upper-body injury he sustained during the final game of the Prospects Challenge on Sept. 18.

Savoie was active in meetings and present in the dressing room. He was invited to spend time with veteran teammates away from the rink. It all made for a smoother process as he awaited his return to the ice with the Sabres, a step he finally took Friday morning.  

“It’s pretty easy to get acclimated right away,” Savoie said. “Just getting comfortable day by day, building relationships. I think that goes a long way, just spending time at the rink.

“I think when you’re injured, it’s easy to kind of shy away and be on a little bit of an island. But I think I’ve done a good job and the other guys have done a good job with including me in everything.”

Savoie joined teammates on the ice for a heavily attended optional skate ahead of their preseason finale against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He had previously been skating four to five times a week on his own, which helped him avoid any significant drop-off from a conditioning standpoint.

“I think I wasn’t doing too much contact today,” he said. “Just trying to ease back into it a little bit, not risk a reinjure or anything like that, so taking it cautious on that front, but I felt good out there.”

Savoie, a first-round draft pick by the Sabres in 2022, came to camp with his sights set on competing for an NHL roster spot following a productive junior season with Winnipeg of the Western Hockey League. He got off to a strong start in two games at the Prospects Challenge, including a two-goal performance in the opener against Montreal.

He sustained his injury during his first shift of the event's finale, the product of a hit to his arm from Pittsburgh forward Jagger Joshua.

“It was definitely pretty devastating to not even get a chance to play in any preseason games or get to show myself in the games before the season, but I thought I came into camp in pretty good shape,” Savoie said. “I felt like I had a big summer, got real strong and a lot faster, so it was definitely tough to not be able to showcase that, but it was a good to be back.”

Savoie is eligible to either spend this season in the NHL or return to his junior club (which has relocated from Winnipeg to Wenatchee, Washington). The transfer agreement between the NHL and CHL restricts him from playing for Rochester, with the exception of a rehab assignment.

Regardless of what comes next, the 19-year-old kept a positive outlook Friday.

“Just taking it day by day still,” he said. “Continuing to learn as much as I can, be present, be a good guy in the locker room, be a guy that guys want to have conversations with and continuously having a smile on my face. It’s obviously not easy going through an injury, but there’s definitely some positives to take away from it, just being around the guys, learning a lot. It’s been good.”