Oilers rookie proves top analyst wrong and impresses with major promotion

Early this season both Savoie and Howard have shown good signs, but have had their ice time severely limited by coach Knoblauch. With some injuries, Savoie got the most recent promotion to McDavid's line, and has immediately taken a step forward.

When news of Savoie's promotion to the first line was revealed, Oilers analysts had heavy doubt about the move. Mark Spector said it wasn't «wise development» to promote Savoie yet, believing it's rushing him.

Instead, Savoie has shown that the future is now. He's played well early this season, but his skill was able to shine more playing with the top line.

Savoie saw a major increase to over 16:00 of ice time, and left his mark on the scoresheet. He produced 2 assists, including a perfect pass on the overtime goal. His analytics remained strong, and he still kept up his penalty kill role.

The Oilers rookie had a fantastic game by the eye test and analytics. HockeyStatCards' GameScore metric ranked Savoie as the 2nd best Oiler last night.

Spector is completely wrong that promoting Savoie is rushing him - if anything, it's overdue. Savoie in particular has shown quality 2 way play, and he has the skill to thrive in the top six. He's the best option to play first line wing at the moment, and it would be beneficial for his development too.

Maybe Savoie's done enough now to prove he can handle more top-six minutes from Coach Knoblauch. He definitely seems to be making more of an impact than Trent Frederic, at least.