Edmonton Oilers
Waiver Moves By Oilers Suggests Team Dealing With Untimely Injury
The Edmonton Oilers waived a number of players on Sunday, hinting that they are dealing with injuries that forced their hand.
On Sunday, the Edmonton Oilers made unexpected moves by placing Raphael Lavoie, Lane Pederson, and Ben Gleason on waivers, aiming to assign them to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors. These surprising decisions hint at possible injuries within the team.
According to Puck Pedia, speculations point to defenseman Markus Niemelainen being injured. Injured players like him cannot be sent down, and due to his 1-way contract, his full cap hit counts against the team’s cap while he’s sidelined, disqualifying him from Season Opening IR.
The Oilers are also dealing with what they hope are minor injuries to Mattias Ekholm and Brett Kulak ahead of the opening of the regular season.
These waiver placements, involving Lavoie, Pederson, and Gleason, suggest the Oilers are seeking flexibility for their Opening Night roster submission. The team is currently navigating the uncertain health status of their defensemen for Game 1, leading to these strategic moves.
Hockey analyst Frank Seravalli remarked, “We might end up seeing some of those players in the lineup if they clear waivers,” highlighting the potential for these players to return to the Oilers’ roster depending on the waiver outcomes. The Oilers’ roster situation remains in flux as they work to address their defensemen’s health concerns before the season opener.
“Niemelainen is injured and can’t be sent to AHL. He likely won’t go on LTIR this week as they are unsure how long he will be out. EDM might have to start with 11-8-2. No cap space to have more than 21 on roster. We could see a roster move tomorrow when they find out availability of Ekholm, Kulak and McLeod”
Could the Oilers Lose Lavoie?
The risk, if any, is that the Oilers will lose Lavoie, a prospect they have high hopes for. That said, there were a number of teams placing players on waivers and in the traffic jam that is all of these players going up at the same time, the Oilers are hoping he slips through.
Gleason has also played extremely well for Edmonton and if he’s claimed, that could be a frustrating loss, especially if the Oilers are without some of their key players on the blue line to start the season.
Next: Oilers Could Make a Trade In the Next 24 Hours [Report]
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