Buffalo Sabers 2024-25 Player Report Card: Ryan McLeod – Hockey Writer – Buffalo Pedao

Everyone's eyes are looking for the 2025 NHL draft and what the Buffalo Saber will do. Given past season failures and past draft successes, fans want to make an impactful deal that will move the offseason in a positive direction.

It turns out that General Manager Kevyn Adams made a successful deal last offseason and didn’t get a good harvest at first, but paid dividends. Ryan McLeod has been acquitted since he arrived in Buffalo, but how did he perform well in the 2024-25 season?

The initial feeling of trading

The reaction was mixed when it was initially announced that Sabers traded top prospect Matt Savoie to the Edmonton Oilers for McLeod. Some people are very high against Savoie, who is expected to be a best breakup at the NHL level. They felt it was a loss for an unproven player.

If anything, this deal shows that the Saber needs more in Adams. He sent the highest prospect to take risks for his feeling, which is exactly what the Saber needs. Saber is an early winner in the industry and McLeod will be a worthy piece to watch in Buffalo for the foreseeable future.

Home run performance

Enter McLeod and his 2024-25 season. Sabers did not continue to send prospects to Rochester, and they placed one of them on the person who obtained McLeod. His career-high percentage in Edmonton's three seasons was 12 goals, 18 assists and 30 points, which didn't make Saber fans feel good.

Related: Buffalo Sabers 2024-25 Player Report Card: JJ Peterka

Those who looked at him in Edmonton pointed out that he was underrated and underutilized, and Saber fans soon saw what he could do in a bigger role. McLeod scored a career-high 16:50 a night, three more minutes than his best three minutes in Edmonton and paid all the dividends.

McLeod hit a whole new climax in goals (20), assists (33) and points (53), while also signing up for his best plus/sinus (plus-13), shooting percentage (20.6%) and faceoff percentage (52.3%). McLeod showed fantastic speed, underrated offensive ability and versatility and free throw kills throughout the lineup.

No one wants to get more from this deal. McLeod was excellent in the high jump and was very good, especially considering that he played the third-line role. The Saber needs a big improvement, putting McLeod into practice.

Grading McLaugh

Entering this season, it is impossible to get more than McLeod proposed. Given his career statistics and usage in Edmonton, he improved his stats when playing a third-tier role, and the role of free throw killing could be a good win.

Instead, McLeod proved crucial to the Saber's offense. Although he didn't get much power play time, he made the most of his shots by reaching high scores. He also showed dynamic gaming abilities.

• Score – A+
• Defense – B+
• Leadership- b
• Toys – A-
• Teamwork-a
• Overall – a

Leadership is a tricky result because we are not in the room, but his game on the ice is undoubtedly a way to lead. McLeod's speed becomes an asset in defensiveness and fine killing, not to mention the fact that it allows him to play with anyone without losing any rhythm.

2025-26 and beyond

McLeod chose the best time for a professional season as he was a restricted free agent this summer. He expects to be worth about $3 million a year throughout the season, but that number feels low given his performance.

Signing him would be a priority for Sabre, with a high possibility of approaching $5 million per season. McLeod should be a solid part of the core forward at the age of 25. While he may not be much better than his 20-goal, 50-point output, getting closer to that, and killing punishment will be a huge win for Saber.