Oilers Place Four Major Players on Waivers, Cut Standout Prospect
Photo credit: Edmonton Sun
The Edmonton Oilers have made some extremely surprising moves this morning, waiving four major players and cutting a standout prospect.
The Oilers have placed Josh Brown, Raphael Lavoie, Olivier Rodrigue, and Drake Caggiula on waivers. They've also sent standout prospect Noah Philp to the AHL, who was not eligible for waivers.
Josh Brown was signed this offseason for three years, but his preseason performance was clearly awful and the Oilers have better options with Travis Dermott and Troy Stecher. For the Oilers to waive him this early is essentially admitting his signing was a major mistake, and it's a tough personal blow to Brown who just bought a house in Edmonton.
Raphael Lavoie is one of the Oilers top offensive prospects, and they'll be very fortunate if he passes through waivers. Lavoie was drafted by the Oilers in the second round in 2019, and he's now 24 years old. He's had great success in the AHL and had a good training camp, but he's simply blocked by too many veterans on the Oilers wing. If he passes through waivers, which may be unlikely, the Oilers should explore trading him.
Cutting Noah Philp comes as a slight shock as well, after the 26 year old coming out of retirement did everything possible to make the team. It's likely that he'll be back playing for the Oilers this season, but they may want to get him more ice time in the AHL first. He had a fantastic camp and looks ready for the big league, but taking a year off hockey is tough to come back from. Philp will surely be back, though.
Olivier Rodrigue is the Oilers top goalie prospect, also a second round draft pick that has had success in the AHL. With many other players heading on waivers today, there could be a chance both Oilers slip through waivers - but a team in need of goaltending could make a worse claim than Rodrigue. Drake Caggiula is a minor league forward, expected to be cut from the team.
After cutting two standout young players who could've possibly made the team, perhaps the Oilers have another transaction coming today or in the next few weeks. The Oilers have been connected making claims themselves on the waiver wire, which will feature tons of action in the next few days. Keep it locked here for all Oilers news and transactions.
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