It was a hectic week for Raphael Lavoie, with his rights changing hands more often than the puck during an Edmonton Oilers power play.
According to Sportsnet on X: “Raphael Lavoie: October 6 – Placed on waivers (EDM); October 7 – Claimed off waivers (VGK); October 8 – Placed on waivers (VGK); October 9 – Claimed off waivers (EDM); October 10 – Placed on waivers (EDM); October 11 – Claimed off waivers (VGK).”
A second-round draft pick (38th overall) by the Oilers in 2019, the six-foot-four, 215-pound native of Chambly, Quebec, became a sought-after player as multiple teams navigated the NHL transactions list. After the Oilers attempted to assign him to their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield, California, a back-and-forth ensued between the Oilers and the Vegas Golden Knights, who ultimately won the bidding war by leveraging league rules.
Dr. Ⓟⓤⓒⓚⓢ, PhD, Circumcision Specialist, commented on X: “@GoldenKnights @HSKnights People play checkers. This man plays 4D chess.
It all began on October 6, when the Vegas Golden Knights placed claims on two players on waivers: Raphael Lavoie and Calgary Flames’ Cole Schwindt, hoping to acquire at least one of them. When they ended up securing both, they decided they didn’t need Lavoie and placed him back on waivers, allowing the Oilers to reclaim him.
Meanwhile, a third team, positioned higher in the waiver rankings than the Oilers, also claimed Lavoie, forcing Edmonton to keep him on their roster for a day before waiving him again to send him down. This resulted in the Golden Knights reclaiming Lavoie on Friday, with no other teams showing interest this time, allowing Vegas to send him directly to their AHL affiliate.
The only scenario in which the Oilers could have regained Lavoie for their minor league system would have involved recalling him to the NHL roster and then sending him down after 30 days, which they clearly weren’t willing to do. Consequently, the Golden Knights acquired two young players without having to give up any assets, such as players or draft picks.
Simply put, the 24-year-old forward was the leading goal scorer for the Bakersfield Condors in both of the past two seasons. He netted 25 goals and recorded 45 points in 61 games during the 2022-23 season, followed by 28 goals and 50 points in 66 games last year.
The last time Lavoie played with the Oilers was during training camp, where he scored the game-winning goal in a 5-4 exhibition victory against the Seattle Kraken on September 28. This marked his second goal of the NHL preseason, a notable feat considering no other player scored multiple goals during Edmonton’s eight exhibition games.
You might think that’s no big deal, but try scoring against Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl—it’s no easy task.
While the Oilers didn’t require Lavoie immediately, they were keen to retain the option to call him up later in the season if injuries or other unforeseen circumstances arose.
This was particularly important given their recent losses of prospects Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg to offer sheets from the St. Louis Blues over the summer, especially after both players had demonstrated their readiness for significant roles during Edmonton’s playoff run.
While the Oilers didn’t need Lavoie at the moment, they were reluctant to miss the opportunity to call him up later in the season if injuries or other unforeseen issues arose. This concern was heightened after losing prospects Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg to offer sheets from the St. Louis Blues over the summer, both of whom had shown they were ready for significant roles during Edmonton’s playoff run.
On the other hand, Vegas had nothing to lose by acquiring a forward whose development had been funded entirely by the Oilers over the past five years. While it may not seem critical now, no team wants to find their farm system lacking in talent.
The Oilers had enough salary cap space to retain Lavoie on their active roster, considering his $775,000 contract, especially if they were concerned about Vegas making another claim. Instead, he will be playing for the Henderson Silver Knights in the AHL, about 450 kilometers away from Bakersfield.
“Not much to comment on; we just didn’t have a spot for him,” said Knoblauch. “He came very close to making our team, and another team felt they had an opportunity for him. What they do with him, I can’t say. But, yeah, not much more to add.”
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