Oilers Prospect Raphael Lavoie Claimed on Waivers by Division Rival
Photo credit: Edmonton Sun
The Edmonton Oilers placed prospect Raphael Lavoie on waivers yesterday, and today he was claimed by the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Oilers were caught in a tough position with how to manage Lavoie. Drafted in the second round by the Oilers in 2019, Lavoie is now 24 years old and a fully developed prospect. He's scored over 50 goals in his last two AHL seasons, and had a quality training camp with a few preseason goals before suffering an injury. Lavoie has a premier shot and a high-end offensive IQ, but he was blocked by too many veteran wingers on the Oilers roster.
Additionally, because no other team placed a claim on Lavoie, he can be directly assigned to Vegas' AHL team.
Knowing that he was a quality prospect and not likely to make the team, many Oilers analysts suggested trading Lavoie to get an asset back before losing him for nothing on waivers. Given the fact that multiple teams claimed him on waivers already, there still could have been interest for a trade.
Connor Brown and Mattias Janmark are two quality players that had great playoff performances, but they only combined for 8 regular season goals last year. The Oilers may have been able to use Lavoie's offensive talent sooner rather than later, and giving up on him this early may be a mistake. Even if there's no immediate spot for Lavoie on the roster, his scoring is a premium talent that was worth a real look from management.
It'll be tough to watch for Oilers fans is Lavoie can get a run of success with the Vegas Golden Knights. After years spent developing the prospect, the Oilers basically threw it all away for nothing. This could be a mistake that comes back to bite the Oilers very soon.
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