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Two forwards join Oilers practice while on 4 Nations Break, Roster Move expected for top prospect

Originally posted on Oilers Daily | By Liam McCormick | Last updated Feb 18, 2025 5:33 PM ET

The Edmonton Oilers held their first official team practice today after the 4 Nations faceoff break began, which saw both Derek Ryan and Matthew Savoie called up from the AHL team.

Matthew Savoie has been on a tear in the AHL lately, causing speculation that a call up could be coming soon. Now that he's with the team for practice, it adds to his case.

Matthew Savoie and Derek Ryan called up from AHL for Oilers practice

According to Oilers reporters, Savoie and Ryan were granted to join team practice without a roster move due to the absence of their players at the 4 Nations Tournament. While for now it is temporary, it's possible one of the forwards stays with the team.

Veteran forward Derek Ryan was sent down to the AHL earlier this season to make room for Noah Philp, but at that time, Coach Knoblauch stressed that Ryan would be back as well.

As per PuckPedia, Oilers still have roster space to call up two players at the moment and go into LTIR spending, so it could be possible that both players join the team after the 4 Nations Tournament.

The Bakersfield Condors are playing tomorrow, and it would seem unlikely for the Oilers to fly two players out for just a practice. A roster move could be announced within the next 24 hours.

Matthew Savoie looks to be getting tryout in pre-trade deadline call up

If the Edmonton Oilers are calling up Matthew Savoie now, it will be for an evaluation prior to the trade deadline - which is only 7 games away.

Savoie has taken a step in the AHL this season to develop his 200 foot game and become a dominant player. Calling him up now will give the Oilers a chance to see if he can be an option in their lineup this season. With 37 points in 45 games, Savoie has real offensive upside along with his defensive play.

Additional news and clarification on Savoie joining practice should emerge in the coming days, but this should be an exciting development for Oilers fans.

Savoie is a hometown player with star potential, and this could be the beginning of a long successful tenure in Edmonton.

This article first appeared on Oilers Daily and was syndicated with permission.

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