Matt Savoie seems to be putting it all together with the Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers announced last week that they had chosen rookie Matt Savoie as their 'Gatorade Performer of the Week'.

This came after arguably the best week of his NHL career where he played in all three games coming off the Olympic break. In those games, despite the team posting a disappointing 1-2-0 record, Savoie shined bright.

He was able to hold and extended his point streak to four games, scoring one goal and six assists for seven points across the four games after the Olympic break. Part of the added success on the score sheet is where he had been situated in the Oilers lineup, finally getting consistent minutes inside the top-six.

Placing a high end skilled player like Savoie on the wing alongside Leon Draisaitl and Jack Roslovic worked well and gave the Oilers some truly high end offensive output from a player they hope to be a big piece of their future. Since the trade deadline however, Savoie has shown a completely different side to his game that makes him even more intriguing.

Savoie, the future Selke candidate?

Leading up to the trade deadline, the Oilers made tangible upgrades to their defence, adding Connor Murphy onto the blueline and adding Jason Dickinson to be a shutdown centre. Adding both of these players helped to give the Oilers a different element and allow them to move the lines around more comfortably.

An interesting part to that point is that rather than the Oilers making a full shutdown line with Dickinson centering two defensive wingers, head coach Kris Knoblauch and his staff did not go that direction. Instead, they opted to place Savoie and Kasperi Kapanen alongside Dickinson.

This helps in a variety of ways, giving that injection of speed to the wings with a defensive centre allows the team to win possession in the defensive end and then use their speed in transition with two quick movers in Kapanen and Savoie.

The whole point is to carry the puck into the offensive zone, allowing the team to send their big guns in Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid to hopefully capitalize on the opportunity. It is the definition of the saying "the best defence, is a good offence".

I digress, Savoie has been a big part of their new-look defence, which has been a nice upgrade from some of the track meet style 80's throwback games the club had earlier this season. He has been killing penalties and helping to do his part on the shutdown line.

The added versatility will make him incredibly valuable to a team like the Oilers, especially down the stretch and into the playoffs. If he proves he can play in a variety of roles and play in all situations, he will force the coaching staff's hand to keep him in the lineup.

Hopefully Savoie can continue to develop and prove the Oilers right in their acquisition of him.