It might only be a necessary move as a result of forward injuries, but Raphael Lavoie now gets to show what he can do in the NHL with the Oilers.
Raphael Lavoie’s time is finally here. He’s going to make his NHL debut for the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday afternoon, versus the Nashville Predators.
As announced by the team, Lavoie was recalled on Friday afternoon due to an injury to Connor Brown. It was a necessary move, with Mattias Janmark also injured and the Oilers facing the prospect of only having 10 forwards to play the Predators.
Even though injuries forced the issue, Lavoie is more than deserving of his opportunity. He impressed during training camp and preseason, and has been tearing it up in Bakersfield with a team-leading four goals in five games.
In fact, being recalled completes an excellent few days for the 23-year-old. On Monday he was named AHL Player of the Week, as a result of six points in three games. (The Condors won all three contests.)
No repeat of last time
Lavoie could be just what the doctor ordered, to help boost an unproductive bottom-six thus far in 2023-24. He scores goals for fun in the AHL, and even though he’s not the fastest guy in the world, he’s a big and physical presence who can mix it up on the ice.
It will be interesting to watch how things pan out for the Chambly, Quebec native with the Oilers. Regardless, one thing you would hope, is the team won’t make the mistake of risking putting his on waivers again.
In this respect, Lavoie cleared waivers on Oct. 9., after being one of the Oilers’ final roster cuts prior to the regular season. As such, a decision will need to be made on sending him down within 30 days of this date, to avoid having to repeat the process.
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Headed in the opposite direction
To make room for the addition of Lavoie, Philip Broberg was loaned to the Condors. It was the obvious move to make, given the blue-liner is waiver-exempt.
Also factoring into the decision, is that Broberg has had his struggles so far in 2023-24. He has zero points and a -1 plus/minus rating on the season, while seeing his ice time decrease in recent games, down to just 5:46 versus the Stars.
There is still a lot of hope for the 2019 eighth overall draft pick, but he’s not taken the anticipated step forward this season. Some time in Bakersfield could be just what he needs, to work on some things and regain his confidence.
Overall, opinion is split on whether this was the right time to recall Lavoie. Regardless, he can’t do any worse than what we’ve seen so far this season collectively, from the Oilers’ bottom-six.