Savoie considered week to week with upper-body injury

Matt Savoie is considered week to week with an upper-body injury, Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams announced Thursday ahead of the team's first practice of training camp.

Savoie sustained the injury during the opening minute of Buffalo’s Prospects Challenge finale against Pittsburgh on Monday. Adams said imaging revealed the “best-case scenario” for the 19-year-old but added that the team will be cautious not to rush his recovery.

“I think there’s a chance (he skates in training camp),” Adams said. “I don’t think this week is likely and then we’ll kind of re-evaluate. I know he’s begging, but we’ll have to kind of take it week by week here.”

The Sabres drafted Savoie with the ninth-overall pick last summer. He had 95 points (38+57) in 62 games for a Winnipeg team that finished last season atop the WHL standings, then made his AHL debut for Rochester during its AHL Eastern Conference Final series against Hershey.

Due to the transfer agreement between the NHL and CHL, Savoie can either make the Sabres roster or return to the WHL this season. He opened camp with a strong first two games at the Prospects Challenge, including a two-goal performance in the opener against New Jersey.

“From a playing standpoint, I loved the way he was skating, competing,” Adams said. “Really impactful shift to shift through the rookie tournament.”

Adams also announced that forward Viktor Neuchev and defenseman Vsevolod Komarov will miss the first practice of training camp due to minor injuries. Komarov missed the entirety of the Prospects Challenge but was on the ice for a rehab skate Thursday. Neuchev is considered day to day.