Edmonton Oilers screwed over by one of the NHL's best teams: they will be forced to place a player on waivers
The Edmonton Oilers claimed Raphael Lavoie on waivers, and now we know that a former team has forced them into an unfortunate position.
This past week has been full of tough decisions for the Edmonton Oilers, as they've had to narrow down their roster in pursuit of another Stanley Cup Finals appearance after falling just short of the ultimate prize last season. In the last few days, the team had to make one huge call, placing young forward Raphael Lavoie on waivers, before ultimately being claimed by a Pacific Division rival in the Vegas Golden Knights. A day later however, the team placed Lavoie back on waivers, with the Oilers expected to claim him once again with the potential to send him straight to the Bakersfield Condors of the AHL.
While the team did indeed claim Lavoie on waivers on Wednesday as they are set to open their season against the Winnipeg Jets, it comes with an unexpected catch.
According to reporter Jason Gregor, a team that finished above Edmonton in the standings (Vancouver, Colorado, Winnipeg, Dallas, Florida, Boston, New York Rangers and Hurricanes) placed a claim for Lavoie, and because of that, he can't automatically be re-routed to the Condors, While this means the team were successful in regaining him, he now heads to their NHL team, and if they want to send him to the AHL, they risk placing him on waivers again with clear interest in his services.
This presents a brand new dilemma for General Manager Stan Bowman, who clearly thinks highly of Lavoie, but without a spot for him in the current lineup, it gives them a huge decision to make. Plenty of Oilers fans believe that Lavoie should be in the NHL this season anyway, so this may potentially force him into the lineup, but if not, the organization could take a huge risk.
