Send O’Reilly, Savoie, & Others Down

The Edmonton Oilers have released forward Seth Griffith from his PTO and he will report to the Bakersfield Condors. The team also announced that they have placed defencemen Cam Dineen and Connor Carrick on waivers for the purpose of assignment, while loaning forward Matt Savoie to Bakersfield.

In a follow-up post, the team also announced that first-round draft selection Sam O’Reilly has been sent back to the London Knights of the OHL.

O’Reilly has a bright future with the Oilers and played extremely well in his first NHL camp. It was the logical move to send the younger back to the OHL, where he’ll dominate and try again to make the Oilers in 2025. Oilers Now host Bob Stauffer said of O’Reilly:

Sam O’ Reilly got into four pre-season games. He is smart and doesn’t cheat for offence. Will go back to London and center one of the Knights top two lines. The Oilers traded up into the 1st Round to take O’ Reilly. He will be an exciting prospect to keep tabs on!”

Savoie joined the Oilers in a trade from the Buffalo Sabres for Ryan McLeod. It’s a bit surprising to fans he didn’t do more in camp, but there’s still a high probability he’ll get a look at some point this season with the big club. He was a highly-touted former first-rounder that the Oilers believe has a high ceiling.

Oilers roster cuts Matt Savoie Sam O’Reilly

Making the cut were Noah Philp and Raphael Lavoie. Also still with the team on a PTO are Mike Hoffman and Travis Dermott.

Philp is the surprise keep, but he has impressed in camp so far and earned his right for a longer looks. “Here’s a guy that hasn’t played in 17-18 mos. To come to an NHL camp and make the team right away would have been almost ridiculous to think about, said head coach Kris Knoblauch. He adds, “But he’s played really well. He’s showed us that he is ready, and he didn’t have as much rust as you would think.:

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