The Edmonton Oilers have made a number of roster cuts, placing four players on waivers while loaning Noah Philp to the American Hockey League’s Bakersfield Condors, the club announced Sunday.
On waivers were defenceman Josh Brown, forwards Raphael Lavoie and Drake Caggiula, as well as goaltender Oliver Rodrigue.
Philp, 26, may have had the best training camp of any Oilers player, returning from a year away from hockey and not only picking up where he left off, but exceeding expectations. His assignment to the Condors may surprise some, but he didn’t require waivers to play in the AHL, and more experience there will only aid his development. It feels like it will just be a matter of time until he’s an Edmonton Oiler.
Lavoie landing on waivers isn’t much of a surprise. While he looked solid in the pre-season, he dealt with a foot injury in the final week, and didn’t play in either of the Oilers’ final two games. His upside comes as a goal-scorer, something the Oilers do need in their bottom-six, and while his defensive game has evolved in a positive way, the coaching staff feels they’re better suited with other options.
The Oilers might be having some buyer’s remorse when it comes to Brown, who looked out of place all pre-season, after signing a three-year, $1-million per-year deal this summer. Edmonton hoped he would be able to bring the physical brand of hockey the recently departed Vincent Desharnis did, but there were more than enough concerning signs from his time in Arizona the team may have overlooked.
Regarding Caggiula and Rodrigue, both players were destined to be with the Condors this year, however, it’s a nice nod for both to have made it thus far in training camp. Caggiula is a player who could be a recall option for the team down the road, and Rodrigue’s only shot at NHL minutes this year would be in the event of an injury in the crease.
The Oilers roster will be finalized ahead of Monday’s 3 p.m. MST deadline, and as it stands, the Oilers will roll with 12 healthy forwards to start the year and Evander Kane inactive. They currently only have six defencemen on the roster, but Brown’s placement on waivers indicates the team will sign Travis Dermott to a contract after he arrived on a professional tryout and kicked down doors with strong performances.
Assuming Dermott’s deal will be for the league minimum $775,000, the Oilers will open the regular season with $1.063-million in cap space and with the ability to accrue cap space, could have up to roughly $4.5-million in space at the trade deadline.

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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