UPDATE: The Edmonton Oilers have officially signed veteran forward Sam Gagner to a one year contract.
Earlier today the Oilers placed forward Adam Erne on waivers and the belief was that the team would call up AHL Player of the week Raphael Lavoie from the Bakersfield Condors, but evidently it's Gagner who will take Erne's spot in the Oilers' lineup.
Read below for our earlier report on this developing story.
This just in, the Edmonton Oilers have placed veteran forward Adam Erne on waivers.
Should the 28 year old winger clear waivers, it's assumed that he'll be assigned to the team's AHL affiliate Bakersfield Condors, paving the way for the Oilers to recall AHL Player of the Week Raphael Lavoie.
Erne joined the Oilers on a professional tryout (PTO) contract in September and impressed head coach Jay Woodcroft enough to earn a one year deal from the team. Of course, Oilers general manager Ken Holland has a long history with Erne stemming back from their time together with the Detroit Red Wings.
Erne has zero points through six games with the Oilers so far this seasoon after putting up eight goals and 18 points in 61 games with the Red Wings last season. It's worth noting that Erne was on waivers last season with the Red Wings and went unclaimed.
As for Lavoie, his recall from the Condors isn't guaranteed but it's more or less a formality at this point. The 23 year old forward has four goals and seven points in five games for the Condors so far this season and is fresh off a 25 goal, 45 point season in 2022-23. The 2nd round pick (38th) of the Oilers in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, he's a solid two-way forward with decent scoring touch. In other words, he's the perfect depth player for the Oilers under Woodcroft's system. Stay tuned for new on his recall tomorrow.
If Erne manages to get another shot in the NHL either with the Oilers or with a new team, he'll need to reinvent himself in one way. Not offensively skilled enough to nail down a top six forward spot and not physical enough to nail down a defensive forward role, he's sort of stuck in the middle. It may sound harsh but to me Erne is the perfect example of a great AHL player, who just can't seem to find his footing in the NHL. In total he has 40 goals and 89 points in 361 career NHL games split between the Oilers, Red Wings and Tampa Bay Lightning.
