23/24 Player Profile: Raphael Lavoie

Last Year

Let’s back up a little farther then just last season to get a better view of Raphael Lavoie and his season last year. At the end of the 2021/22 season, Raphael Lavoie went down with a knee injury that kept him out of training camp for the start of last season. Already starting behind, Lavoie remained out of commission until November 2. Lavoie didn’t miss much time Condors (only 5 games) but with a knee injury it’s hard to rehab and work on skating when you can’t get yourself on the ice.

Missing training camp definitely took a toll on Lavoie as he struggled to produce between his return and the Christmas break. Posting a mere 4-3-7 in 18 GP, less than 0.5ppg which for a prospect hoping to make the NHL as a skill player is way below the mark. Lavoie was having a hard time making up lost ground due to his injury and was looking like he might be going the way of a lost prospect. Quickly losing ground to some of the Oiler’s other prospects, and his scoring having all but dried up, going on a 9 game pointless streak in that run. Things were starting to become dire Lavoie and any hope of making the NHL. His previous season was also plagued with inconsistency as he put up most of his points during one hot run, and had a big cold streak as well.

Things changed with the calendar for Lavoie. As it flipped over to 2023, Lavoie decided to catch fire in the AHL and stay hot/consistent until the season’s end. Pilling up 21-17-38 in the last 43 GP, good for 0.88ppg, much more in line with that of a skill player vying for a call up to the big club.

In the offseason Lavoie signed a new contract with the Oilers (As his entry-level deal had expired) for $874,000. This signing was questioned by the cap wizards of the Edmonton sports world. Lavoie with a decent shot at making the big club with a good training camp decided to bet on himself and sign for more than the league minimum after playing zero NHL games on his ELC. Usually you when you are betting on yourself you take a pay cut or a shorter term contract, but Lavoie went bigger. This is peculiar only because the Oiler’s are in a mega cap crunch where even an extra $100,000 could be the difference between making the club and the Oiler’s going another way with a PTO signing who signs for the minimum. Taking that little bit extra makes it just a little more tough for him to make the Oiler’s out of training camp.

This Year

This season is all going to depend on how Lavoie’s training camp goes. If he can come flying out of the gate and show that he can produce in pre-season, a job on the 3rd/4th line wing is all but his. He has had a whole offseason injury free to train, get stronger, stay on the ice and get better over the summer. Something that Lavoie was not afforded last year that led to his poor start before recovering very well after Christmas.

Lavoie’s competition going into training camp can be narrowed down to 3 other candidates.

1. Brandon Sutter, who has missed the last 2 full season’s of NHL hockey due to long covid. 3 years ago he was a solid 4th line centre who could win faceoff’s and would add a lot of value to what the Oiler’s need in their bottom 6. taking two years off from the best league in the world and not playing anywhere else though could take a major hit at someone’s conditioning and level of play when the margains are so thin. Advantage Lavoie.
2. Sam Gagner. Sam did play in the NHL last season, suiting up for 48 games for the Winnipeg Jets, scoring 14 points. Sam doesn’t necassarily have the fastest boots any more as he enters his 34 year old season. Considering he doesn’t have a contract yet bodes well for Lavoie, and the Oiler’s also want to see what they have in him at some point. What Gagner has going for him is that it would be his 3rd tour of duty with the Oiler’s and is a fan favourite, and may be more suited to a 4th line role at this stage of his career. It’s close, but with contract in hand i’ll give the advantage to Lavoie.
3. Adam Erne, signed to a PTO only 2 days ago, Erne comes from Detroit last season where he scored 18 points in 61 games. At this point he is not much more than a replacement level forward in a bottom 6, I believe the Oiler’s are bringing him to camp so that he can help foster competition and better results as players fight for the last roster spot in the forward group. Being new to the system and coming in late on a PTO give Lavoie the advantage here as well.

Out of the 3 players coming into camp I think Gagner poses the biggest threat to Lavoie. He will need a good honest camp to not lose the spot to Gagner. Where I’m sitting it’s his spot to lose, come out hard in training camp and perform and I see no reason why the Oiler’s would send him down and not give him a shot on the opening night roster.

Projection

Lavoie bounces in and out of the line up this season as the 12th forward, getting bumped out of the line up for games when Woodcroft (Coach) wants to go 11-7 with his roster. Due to injuries in the in the forward ranks at some point, he elevates and plays a consistent but limited role all season.

10-8-18 in 52 GP for the Oiler’s this season.

Next Up

Darnell Nurse