Edmonton Oilers notebook: Lavoie claimed by Golden Knights

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Edmonton Oilers’ winger Raphael Lavoie may be looking at a change of scenery after Vegas claimed him off waivers Monday with the rival Golden Knights busier than any other NHL team, also grabbing centre Cole Schwindt off Calgary.

The Golden Knights lost a veteran player, Zach Aston-Reese, battling Tanner Pearson for a fourth-line LW spot, to Columbus so they were looking to fill a spot or two off the waiver wire. Vegas is very deep at forward, though, so there’s no guarantee either or both young players they took Monday, will stay on their NHL roster.

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Only speculation, here.

Schwindt, a right-shot centre, was a small piece of the Florida-Calgary Matthew Tkachuk for Jonathan Huberdeau-MacKenzie Weegar trade and has been in the minors, as has Lavoie.

Who knows, both Lavoie and Schwindt might wind up in Henderson, their Golden Knights’ AHL affiliate, instead. If Lavoie, who has NHL offensive tools but can’t make the Oilers, does go on waivers or the fellow bubble player Schwindt, then the Oilers and Flames would have first rights to reclaim them and dispatch them to the minors.

But that’s maybe a story for another day.

For now, it is revealing that the former Stanley Cup winners Vegas claimed the right-winger Lavoie, not a bottom-feeder like, say, San Jose.

Lavoie, 24, had a very good Oilers camp and had 28 goals last season (14 on the power play) and 50 points, but had zero chance of playing in the top six here on RW behind Zach Hyman and Viktor Arvidsson.

The book on Lavoie has long been he’s an imperfect player to NHL scouts and management people—too good for the AHL with 50 goals over his past two farm seasons, but not good enough to make this NHL roster. Especially if he has to play in the bottom six, because he hasn’t been used on the penalty-kill like, say, James Hamblin, and there’s no room for him on the NHL’s best PP.

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So we’ll see what happens now.

Lavoie has been beating his head against the wall for several years here.

“This is a Stanley Cup contending team, one of the best teams in the league. There’s so many good pieces. But it’s part of the business. It’s hard to make the NHL. You have to round out your game, bring more and more to the table,” Lavoie said early in camp.

Brown headed to Bakersfield

Defenceman Josh Brown, who had a lacklustre camp and lost out to Troy Stecher and tryout veteran Travis Dermott on the depth chart, predictably cleared waivers. His three-year free-agent deal, even with a low $1 million AAV, was too much for any other team.

You’re entitled to ask why the Oilers signed the former Arizona right-shot D for three years rather than, say, one year, on July 1. Ostensibly, Brown was brought in to replace Vinny Desharnais, who signed in Vancouver (two years, $2 million AAV), as a big (6’5”, 220-pound) guy who can fight and has killed penalties. But Brown’s puck-handling was rough.

Give the Oilers credit. They didn’t double down and keep Brown on the roster to justify signing him three months ago. GM Stan Bowman, who joined Oilers three weeks after Brown was signed, looked at Brown’s play in pre-season and put him on waivers. His $1 million AAV is easily buried in Bakersfield and doesn’t count against the Oiler salary cap. For now, the Oilers have 14 players (including the recalled Matt Savoie and the injured Evander Kane) and only six defenceman on their opening roster of 22 players.

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If they sign the seventh D Dermott to, say, the league minimum $775,000 on a one-way or a two-way, they are ahead of the game financially over Brown.

Brown, 30, could be back if there are injuries, but, for now, he joins Phil Kemp, Max Wanner, and Connor Carrick on the right-side of the blue line in Bakersfield.

Emberson-Nurse partnership shaping up

Ty Emberson will open the season alongside Darnell Nurse even though they only got into one exhibition game because Nurse was held out with a suspected oblique muscle issue from last finals against Florida. Not many viewings, but…

“There’s never a perfect chemistry, honestly, but the more games you play with a partner the better you get. We’ve had a few reps in practice. I think we’ll be good from game 1,” said Emberson, who came to the Oilers in the Cody Ceci trade in August.

Emberson only has 30 career NHL games with the San Jose Sharks with Mario Ferraro as his partner, but, for now, he looks like the best tag-teamer with Nurse as a stay-at-home guy who makes a good outlet pass.

What is it like when Hall of Famer Paul Coffey, who looks after the Oilers D, is telling Emberson stuff?

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“It’s been good. You look at Coff’s NHL resume, obviously, and it’s impressive, to say the least. When someone like he speaks, you always listen,” said Emberson, who doesn’t play anything like Coffey, though.

Coffey has preached making plays with the puck, not just clearing it out or rimming pucks off the glass, with all of the Oiler defencemen.

“Coff was an offensive player and he tell us to do offensive stuff, too. I take what he says into consideration,” said Emberson, “but I’m not Paul Coffey.

“I’ve had some coaches where they just want you to make the simple play, whether it’s a rim or a high flip (defensive zone) but with Coff it’s all about getting the puck on your forehand and getting the puck to the forwards in a good spot, rather than putting them in a worse position than you are.”

This ‘n that

• The Oilers recalled Matt Savoie from Bakersfield (waiver exempt) but it’s a paper move for cap reasons. Tip of the Twitter cap to the Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman for his fiscal skills figuring this out. Having him on the opening roster gives the team a performance-bonus-LTIR pool of $1 million…
• That means if they were to recall him later, he would count $866,666 against the cap rather than $1,866,666. Savoie will likely be sent back to the farm on Tuesday…
• Vezina trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck was away from Jets’ practice for “family reasons” Monday but Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel said he was hopeful the goalie would be available for the Jets’ game against the Oilers Wednesday. The Jets have three goalies—Eric Comrie, Kaapo Kahkonen and Hellebuyck—on their roster..
•  (Evander) Kane is on the Oiler opening roster as expected, even injured (rather than LTIR…
• The Oilers signed Bakersfield forward Cameron Wright to a one-year two-way contract after 12 goals and 21 points in 48 games last season there…
• (Cody) Ceci looks like he’ll be partners with former Detroit defenceman Jake Walman with Matt Benning playing with Ferraro in San Jose…
• Derek Ryan, who has played centre and right-wing on the Oiler fourth-line in camp, will be in the middle with Vasily Podkolzin and Corey Perry. “Derek can play both positions, he’s versatile enough. It’s what our team needs at this moment and right now with 12 (healthy) forwards we need Derek at centre,” said coach Kris Knoblauch…
• Jesse Puljujarvi has made the Pittsburgh Penguins opening 22-man roster after a big camp, likely starting on right-wing on the third line with Lars Eller and Rutger McGroarty…
• Winger Sam Gagner had four points in four pre-season games for Carolina but he wasn’t signed after his training camp tryout there. Is this the end of the NHL road for the ex Oiler (1,043 games), a sharp guy who could slide into a management position with the club when he desires?…
• Kailer Yamamoto is one of 14 forwards on the Utah roster at this time, signed to a two-way contract ($775,000 NHL and $500,000 in the minors) after his camp tryout. Nick Schmaltz, Dylan Guenther, Lawson Crouse, and feisty Liam O’Brien are the top four RWs on their depth chart today. Utah is opening the season with Nick Bjugstad on injured reserve so when he returns, Yamamoto might be going to their AHL affiliate in Tucson.

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