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It's been nothing short of a whirlwind week for forward Raphael Lavoie, who has gone back and forth between the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights multiple times through the waiver wire.
Below is the timeline of his busy week:
October 6: Placed on waivers by Edmonton
October 7: Claimed on waivers by Vegas
October 8: Placed on waivers by Vegas
October 9: Claimed on waivers by Edmonton
October 10: Placed on waivers by Edmonton
October 11: Claimed on waivers by Vegas
As of right now, he's under contract with the Golden Knights. This almost unheard-of pattern of events for one player has drawn quite a reaction on social media, with many expressing their disbelief that this is being allowed under the current NHL rules. Meanwhile, others expressed discontent with how Vegas operates.
"That's incredible. And there is ONE team that keeps putting in a claim on Lavoie negating either VGK or EDM from freely sending him to AHL without waivers," wrote @krufrank.
"It’s simple… Edm wants to send him down and knows no one wants him on a NHL Roster. They can keep playing this game until he clears. Vegas is being Vegas lol," opined @yourbarbercraig.
"Honestly, this shouldn't be allowed. If you claim someone on waivers, you shouldn't be able to waive them for a more extended period of time," added @TheThomahawk.
"Kids career feels like a money laundering scheme," wrote @MungoBeanfield
"I understand both teams like the player but don’t think he’s nhl ready yet they can keep playing this cat and mouse game until someone gives up and he’s able to finally clear waivers and go to the minors," wrote @onTOsportsTrain.
"Vegas is so lucky to have the league in it's back pocket. Allowed to circumvent the cap 3 years in a row. Allowed to circumvent LTIR this off-season because Lehner couldn't put his cheeseburger down to show up for a physical. Allowed to play waiver claim games," wrote @pyanew11.
Raphael Lavoie's NHL career so far
A native of Chambly, Quebec, Lavoie was picked as the 38th overall selection by the Oilers in the 2019 NHL Draft and has a total of seven NHL games under his belt, all while wearing an Oilers uniform.
He's spent the majority of the last three seasons playing for Edmonton's American Hockey League affiliate Bakersfield Condors. He tallied 28 goals and 22 assists in 66 games in 2023-24.
