Raphael Lavoie accepts qualifying offer of $874,125 for one year with Edmonton Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers announced that forward Raphael Lavoie has accepted his qualifying offer of $874,125 with the team.

Lavoie, 22, was a restricted free agent after the conclusion of his three-year, entry-level contract with an $870,000 cap hit. That resulted in the qualifying offer of $874,125, which by accepting means he’ll make that just for this season, with a qualifying offer of $917,831 when this deal expires next summer. It’s a two-way contract, meaning he’ll only make $874,125 at the NHL level, with his AHL salary only being $70,000.

Lavoie spent the entirety of his season in the AHL with the Bakersfield Condors, with 25 goals, 20 assists, and 45 points in 61 games, all career-highs for the forward. He also had one goal in two playoff games as the Condors were swept by the Abbotsford Canucks in two games in the Pacific Division First Round.

Lavoie was a second-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers in the 2019 draft out of the QMJHL, playing another season there after his draft year before signing his entry-level contract in 2020. He then played for Vasby IK in the Swedish Hockey League for a season before moving to the AHL later that season, where he has since spent his professional career.

The Oilers have had a quiet offseason so far, as cap constraints have kept them from making any significant additions, and they’ve instead looked to offload cap space like dealing Kailer Yamamoto and Klim Kostin to the Detroit Red Wings. They have made one signing of note for their NHL roster, bringing in Connor Brown on a one-year contract for cheap with some performance bonuses. They still have just over $5.6 million in cap space at the moment, but also need to re-sign restricted free agents Evan Bouchard and Ryan McLeod.