The Edmonton Oilers have recalled forward Raphael Lavoie on an emergency basis, the club announced Saturday.

Subsequently, the Oilers loaned defenceman Ben Gleason to the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors. The swap was announced as the Oilers prepared to take on the LA Kings on Saturday night.

Lavoie, 23, is in his fourth season of pro hockey, and got his first NHL cup of coffee earlier this season, appearing in six games for the Oilers. But once again, Lavoie has made his mark in the American League, where in 19 games this season he’s tallied 10 goals and 14 points.

The emergency recall could be due to an injury to Sam Gagner, who was got with a friendly-fire high-stick in the Oilers’ 4-3 win over the New York Rangers three days before Christmas. Dylan Holloway, meanwhile, is working his way back from a broken kneecap suffered in a Nov. 13 game. And while Holloway’s not slated to play any of the Oilers’ games in California this weekend, the winger could be back in the mix soon.

Gleason, meanwhile, joined the Oilers three weeks ago when the club assigned Philip Broberg to the AHL Condors to get him some playing time. Gleason didn’t dress in any games for the Oilers during that stretch, but will play tonight for the Condors as they take on the San Jose Barracuda.

At the time of writing, it’s not yet known if Lavoie will draw in for Saturday night’s game against the LA Kings, or the Oilers’ New Year’s Eve game against the Anaheim Ducks. Despite that, he was seen on the ice with the Oilers during a morning skate Saturday afternoon.

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.

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