In an Edmonton Oilers news and rumors update, Raphael Lavoie was lost to waivers as the Vegas Golden Knights claimed him. But, could the Oilers potentially get the forward back? Meanwhile, general manager Stan Bowman called out Josh Brown’s play and there is talk that a deal is coming for Travis Dermott. Finally, after some interesting moves in practice, should fans already be worried about Jeff Skinner?
Oilers Lose Lavoie To Waiver Claim
The Oilers have lost forward Raphael Lavoie to the Vegas Golden Knights, who claimed him off waivers. The 24-year-old showed promise but struggled to find a permanent spot on the Oilers’ roster. He made his NHL debut last season, playing seven games without recording a point and averaging just 7:17 of ice time.
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An injury during preseason and a roster full of elite scorers limited his chances this summer. The decision to place him on waivers was driven by the Oilers’ need to clear roster space and manage their salary cap. TSN’s Ryan Rishaug described Lavoie as a “top-six AHL player and bottom-six NHL player,” noting his size, solid shot, and decent skating. However, the Oilers required more grit than Lavoie could provide, leading to his departure from the team.
Potentially interesting news comes from Oilers Now host Bob Stauffer who believes there is a chance the Oilers could get Lavoie back. He noted during a recent show that the Golden Knights weren’t expecting to get both Cole Schwindt and Lavoie, so they could waive Lavoie again.
Bowman Says Josh Brown Not Good Enough
Speaking of Stauffer, Stan Bowman was on his show Oilers Now on Monday and explained the team’s decision to waive Josh Brown and send him down to the AHL.
Bowman admitted:
“He didn’t have his best training camp, I think that was apparent in talking to him… one of the things you have to do as a team is evaluate who deserves to be here to start the season. We made the determination that his game wasn’t where we wanted it to be.”
As a result, the Oilers are still looking for the best fit in their No. 6 slot and Travis Dermott might be an option. PuckPedia notes: “Expecting #LetsGoOilers to formally sign Travis Dermott to 2-way contract tomorrow. Tomorrow (day 2 for cap purposes) players can be sent down, which would make room for him to be signed & registered. Was in camp on PTO.”
The team has some cap juggling to do first, which included a deal for Cameron Wright, calling up Matthew Savoie, and likely placing Evander Kane on temporary LTIR.
Is Jeff Skinner Already Being Sent a Message?
There was some news coming out of Oilers practices this past week as Jeff Skinner was moved off of Edmonton’s second line and replaced by Mattias Janmark. People were quick to assume Skinner was being sent a message after not doing much in the preseason. Knoblauch explained it was more about seeing who fit best with whom and finding team chemistry.
Skinner, a 14-year NHL veteran with 357 goals, was expected to slot into a top-six role alongside Leon Draisaitl and Victor Arvidsson. The idea is that he’s supposed to bring a legitimate scoring threat to that second line. With no points in four games and being on the ice for five goals against fans are already concerned he’s not a good fit stylistically.
While Skinner’s scoring pedigree is undeniable, Janmark’s defensive reliability might have influenced the move after a costly coverage error by Skinner and Draisaitl led to a crucial goal. Is this a permanent move? Probably not. Skinner is too proven a goal scorer not to be given a real chance when the games matter. Ryan Rishaug posted on Tuesday morning, “Jeff Skinner back in top 6 white today. Would seem yesterday’s 3rd line appearance was temporary. Perhaps a one-day motivator after a sluggish camp.”