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Raphael Lavoie

West Notes: Oilers, Lavoie, Jets

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The Oilers were among the teams that had shown interest in center Tomas Nosek, reports Kurt Leavins of the Edmonton Journal.  Edmonton wasn’t able to afford to keep Nick Bjugstad who went back to Arizona in free agency and Nosek would have been a capable replacement, particularly in terms of his faceoff skill and penalty killing acumen.  It’s believed that they offered a deal that was at least close in money to the $1MM that Nosek received from New Jersey earlier this week.  The fact that they were in on the 30-year-old suggests that GM Ken Holland is still keeping an eye on the bottom end of the UFA market to potentially round out his roster.

Elsewhere in the West:

  • Also from Leavins’ column, he noted that the Oilers made a sizable two-way offer to winger Raphael Lavoie, one that would have lowered his NHL salary but given him a bigger guaranteed salary. Instead, the 22-year-old opted to accept his qualifying offer worth just over $874K earlier this month, giving him a bigger potential payday in the NHL.  Lavoie has yet to play at the top level in his three professional seasons but clearly feels he’ll have a shot at a spot at the end of the roster, particularly since he is now waiver-eligible.
  • Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun examines the Jets’ offseason thus far and highlights the situation on the back end as something to watch for. Prospect Declan Chisholm is now waiver-eligible which makes it likely that he breaks camp with the team while Logan Stanley’s trade request from last season still hasn’t been granted.  Notably, Stanley declined to file for arbitration earlier this month.  Meanwhile, Ville Heinola, who has made it known in the past that he’s looking for more NHL time, remains waiver-exempt.  Accordingly, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Winnipeg try to do something to sort out what is a bit of a logjam toward the back of their back end as even if they carry eight defensemen to start next season, someone isn’t making the cut.

Raphael Lavoie Accepts Qualifying Offer

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Today is the deadline for players to accept their qualifying offers.  One player that has elected to take his is Oilers prospect Raphael Lavoie as CapFriendly reports (Twitter link) that the winger has accepted his offer which carries a salary of $874,125 in the NHL and $70K in the minors.

The 22-year-old was a second-round pick by Edmonton back in 2019 (38th overall) and spent his entire entry-level deal at the AHL level with Bakersfield.  He got off to a slow start but finished strong with 21 points in his final 24 games, giving him 25 goals and 20 assists on the year in 61 games.

A big winger standing 6’4, Lavoie figures to be a candidate to earn a spot on Edmonton’s roster next season.  However, this contract might actually hurt those chances.  With cap space at an absolute premium, the Oilers will likely want their depth pieces making the minimum of $775K; had Lavoie accepted that as an NHL salary in exchange for a higher AHL one, he could have guaranteed himself more money and given himself a better chance to make their roster.

However, Lavoie appears to be betting on himself here, believing that he can outright earn a spot in Edmonton’s lineup which would bank him nearly an extra $100K in the process.  He’ll once again be a restricted free agent next summer where the NHL portion of his qualifying offer will be just under $918K.

Edmonton Oilers Qualify Five Players

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The Edmonton Oilers have decided to negotiate with all five of their pending restricted free agents, issuing qualifying offers to Ryan McLeod, Raphael Lavoie, Noah Philp, Evan Bouchard, and Olivier Rodrigue.

According to CapFriendly’s qualifying offer calculator, that means each received the following:

  • Evan Bouchard: One-way, $874,125
  • Raphael Lavoie: Two-way, $874,125
  • Ryan McLeod: One-way, $837,900
  • Noah Philp: Two-way, $787,500
  • Olivier Rodrigue: Two-way, $787,500

For Bouchard and McLeod, in particular, this comes as no surprise. Each has become an important part of the Oilers’ lineup, giving them the depth needed to advance further in the playoffs.

Bouchard, 23, registered his second straight 40+ point season in 2022-23, effectively making Tyson Barrie redundant enough to trade at the deadline. The 10th overall pick from 2018 has grown into one of the most effective puck-movers in the league and showed off some incredible vision in this year’s postseason, racking up four goals and 17 points in just 12 games.

McLeod, meanwhile, grew into a valuable depth center option this season, scoring 11 goals and 23 points in 57 games. His elite skating ability and tenacity make him a nice fit on a third line, and his offensive number are trending upward. He was held goalless in the playoffs but still contributed five points, playing mostly in a defensive role.

Despite the Oilers’ release indicating otherwise, it is actually McLeod—not Bouchard—that is eligible for arbitration this summer, according to CapFriendly. The young forward is a candidate for a bridge deal, given the tight nature of the Edmonton cap situation.

The other three, Lavoie, Philp, and Rodrigue, have yet to make their NHL debuts are will likely be retained on short-term two-way deals to maintain organizational depth.

Pacific Notes: Kahkonen, Bear, Lavoie

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It has been a bit of a rough go so far for goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen in San Jose.  When then-GM Doug Wilson picked up the 26-year-old at the 2022 trade deadline, he was hoping that the Sharks might have their goalie of the future.  The results haven’t been great, however, as Kahkonen had a 3.85 GAA with a SV% of just .883 in 35 games this season.  Despite that, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that there are a few teams around the league that view him as a worthwhile reclamation project which could give him some trade value this summer.  Kahkonen has one year left on his deal with a $2.75MM cap charge but at the moment, he is the only goaltender with meaningful NHL experience under his belt so it’s not a guarantee that GM Mike Grier will be open to moving him.  If he is though, it appears that there will be some suitors.

More from the Pacific:

  • Canucks defenseman Ethan Bear might need shoulder surgery as a result of the injury sustained while playing for Canada last month at the World Championship, reports CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal (Twitter link). The procedure, if eventually completed, would carry a recovery time of multiple months.  The 25-year-old is owed a $2.2MM qualifying offer later this month, one that is already on the high side for someone on the third pairing, especially on a team as cap-strapped as Vancouver is.  Accordingly, it’s possible that this injury and possible surgery could affect their decision on whether to tender Bear that offer in a few weeks.
  • With Edmonton almost certainly needing to rely on several cheap players to round out its roster next season, Postmedia’s Robert Tychkowski suggests that prospect Raphael Lavoie could push for a spot in the lineup in 2023-24. The 22-year-old was a second-round pick back in 2019 (39th overall) but has yet to see NHL action over his first three professional seasons.  However, Lavoie bounced back from an early injury to have a strong second half, allowing him to post 25 goals and 20 assists in 61 games with AHL Bakersfield.  A pending restricted free agent, Lavoie will likely be asked to sign for below his qualifying offer to increase his chances of breaking camp with the Oilers.  If he doesn’t make the team though, Lavoie would have to pass through waivers to get back to the Condors next season.

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