After starting the day by signing Olivier Rodrigue to a one-year extension, the Oilers are looking to continue their signing streak this Easter long weekend.
Per reports from Bob Stauffer, the Oilers will announce that they will be signing Edmonton Oil Kings defenceman Marc Lajoie to an amateur tryout (ATO) for the rest of the season. This means they will be getting a pro-level look at the young defenceman with the Bakersfield Condors for the rest of the season before making any long-term decisions.
Lajoie’s performance has been solid with the Oil Kings
The news broke on the Oilers broadcast this afternoon, with Stauffer giving some background into his play:
The Oil Kings have not been very good this year, but somehow Lajoie has been on the right side of the ice. Now some may not take a huge amount of stock in plus-minus as a data point, but anytime you have a player who is in the positive when their team has one of the worst goal differentials in the league you take notice.
Through 68 games this season, Lajoie has posted 26 goals and 58 points as a defenceman. The St. Albert product is a WHL veteran at this point and his career season has turned heads among the Oilers front office for a while.
This is completely a low-risk, high-reward move by the Oilers management. The Condors still have several games left in their season to get a look at what he can do at the next level. Even then, signing him to a short-term entry-level contract afterward would also still be a low-risk move for the franchise. With so many AHL veterans on the roster and the Condors fighting for a playoff spot, it would make sense to make the move now for Lajoie.
Based on the initial reaction, it looks like fans are excited about the move and the potential for finding a diamond in the rough.
Photo Credit: Andy Devlin
