Bruins’ Extension for Fraser Minten Directly Impacts Matthew Savoie 

The Boston Bruins recently extended forward Fraser Minten, rewarding him with a seven-year extension starting in the 2027-28 season, with a $7.2 million average annual value. For the Edmonton Oilers, it could have a direct impact on what Matthew Savoie will be looking for on his extension, since he’s eligible for one. 

At 22 years old, Minten has established himself as a solid middle-six forward with a lot of upside. The Bruins acquired him from the Toronto Maple Leafs before the 2025 Trade Deadline as part of the Brandon Carlo trade, and he fit extremely well. 

Before he was traded, Minten had just 19 NHL games under his belt, in which he scored two goals and added two assists for four points. He scored one goal in six games with the Bruins in the 2024-25 season and played his first full NHL campaign last season, in which he scored 17 goals and added 18 assists for 35 points through 82 games. 

Back to Savoie, who is an almost perfect comparison to Minten. Savoie has a bit less overall experience at the NHL level, but is coming off a stronger offensive campaign last season. In 82 games, he scored 18 goals and added 19 assists for 37 points. 

They have the same amount of playoff experience, each having played six games, but Savoie has one point, whereas Minten has zero. 

For the Oilers, who may have been hoping to extend Savoie for around $5-5.5 million annually for a long-term deal, they may now be forced to see Minten’s new deal as the minimum for Savoie.

Oilers Have Cap Space & Shouldn’t Wait

According to PuckPedia, the Oilers have approximately $25.18 million in cap space for the 2027-28 season, giving them some flexibility to give Savoie just about anything he wants. They will want to keep the number as low as possible, but they can afford to bend a little bit during negotiations.

While Savoie is injured and won’t be starting the season, he still has a chance to play his way into an even bigger raise. If he has a breakout campaign where he reaches the 60-point plateau and scores 25 goals, suddenly, he could be looking for $8 million or more. 

The Oilers have the cap space, and should try to get something done with Savoie sooner rather than later, assuming he is willing to extend long-term, and considering he is a hometown player, it’s hard to believe he wouldn’t be open to sticking around in Edmonton.

This Can’t Be Another Holloway/Broberg Situation

The reality is, the Oilers have to get the Savoie extension done sooner rather than later. They don’t want to run into another situation where they end up losing two promising players to an offer sheet, like they did when the St. Louis Blues were able to steal Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg, who are now assistant captains with their new team. 

Rather than waiting it out, the Oilers need to be a little smarter and make sure they get Savoie locked up long-term before he enters free agency as a restricted free agent (RFA), opening him up to a risk of an offer sheet. 

Unfortunately, that will mean giving him a significant raise, but to keep a promising player like him around, that shouldn’t be a problem. 

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