Buffalo Sabres’ Matt Savoie to have MRI Saturday, could miss time with Canada’s world junior team

Buffalo Sabres GM Kevyn Adams told reporters on Saturday afternoon that forward Matt Savoie is having an MRI today for a lower-body injury and could miss the rest of the 2024 World Junior Championship in Sweden.

Savoie missed practice on Saturday morning, with Canada electing to add forward Jagger Firkus to the 25-man roster later in the afternoon. As of now, Firkus has not officially replaced Savoie, but Canadian coach Alan Letang told reporters earlier today in Sweden that they’ll see how Savoie is tomorrow.

The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler reported that Savoie should “100%” be ready to go come the medal round.

Expected to be a big piece of Canada’s attack, Savoie has just one assist in three games thus far. He’s been in Canada’s top six all tournament long, but the lethal scoring winger struggled to find the power needed to contribute early on.

Savoie injured his shoulder during the Buffalo Prospect Showcase in September, forcing him to miss training camp. He made his season debut with the AHL’s Rochester Americans, scoring two goals and five points as a 19-year-old underaged forward. Savoie would go on to play his first NHL game in November before getting sent back to the WHL. In 24 games with the Wenatchee Wild, Savoie has 11 goals and 24 points.

Canada will close out its round-robin action with a 1:30 PM ET contest against Germany on Sunday. Canada is 2-1 after losing 2-0 to Sweden on Friday for their first shutout loss since the 2021 gold-medal final.