Oilers may trade top prospect or risk losing him on waivers
The Edmonton Oilers have a battle for a two fourth line spots in training camp, and if one top prospect doesn't make it, he'll likely be out of the organization.
24 year old forward Raphael Lavoie was drafted by the Oilers in the second round of 2019, and has now played 4 seasons in the AHL with great success. Lavoie has been ranked as high as the team's fourth best prospect by OilersNation.
Lavoie is waiver eligible this season, and it seems likely that another team would claim the promising young forward if he was waived this year. He's scored 53 goals over the last two years in the AHL, and has displayed his offensive talent a number of times this preseason. Under contract for only $775K this season, any team would be smart to grab him for free on waivers. If the Oilers want to keep him around, he may have to make the NHL roster.
Lavoie has been a standout player in the preseason, but the Oilers just may not have a role for him. Lavoie is an offensive player that just wouldn't thrive on a checking third or fourth line. The Oilers third line wingers only combined for 8 goals last year, so maybe there is a reason to keep Lavoie for secondary scoring. However, if the Oilers don't have a role for him on the team and are planning to cut him, they may lose him for nothing on waivers.
Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal recently suggested the Oilers could trade Lavoie instead of assigning him to the AHL.
»Lavoie is not waiver-exempt. He cleared waivers last October after two goals in six pre-season games when sent to the farm, before his 28-goal Bakersfield season. Would he do so again?
Maybe the Oilers trade him for a draft pick as Vancouver did with the waiver-eligible winger Vasily Podkolzin before his trade here last month.»
- Jim Matheson
Maybe the Oilers trade him for a draft pick as Vancouver did with the waiver-eligible winger Vasily Podkolzin before his trade here last month.»
- Jim Matheson
More training camp cuts will be coming in the final days, and the Oilers are at a clear tipping point with Raphael Lavoie. Within the next week they'll need to decide to keep him on the NHL roster, trade him, or risk losing him to waivers. There's plenty of young players pushing to make the team, and the Oilers may be forced into some tough decisions with veterans like Derek Ryan and Corey Perry.
| POLL | ||
Do you think the Oilers should keep, trade, or waive Lavoie? | ||
| Keep him | 82 | 68.3 % |
| Trade him | 23 | 19.2 % |
| Waive him | 10 | 8.3 % |
| See Results | 5 | 4.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
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