According to Oilers insider Bob Stauffer, the Oilers have placed forward Toni Rajala on unconditional waivers. Stauffer also tweeted out that this waiver placement will lead to a buy-out of Rajala, who most believe has an offer from Europe right now.
Rajala busted out and had a great year in both the ECHL and AHL this past season. He put up 38 points in 29 games with the Stockton Thunder in the ECHL, and 45 points in 46 AHL games with the Barons. Rajala was also tremendous in the playoffs, putting up 16 points in 17 games and being a real threat on the ice.
Rajala sent a lot of shots towards the net, and really developed well this past season. He earned a shot at training camp this coming September, and looked to have an NHL future very soon.
That, at least with Edmonton, ended today. The Oilers will free up a contract spot, but that being said, this move makes zero sense to me. He was a PPG rookie in the AHL and put up real promising stats all around. There has to be more to this story, because the Oilers just buying him out doesn’t make any sense.
UPDATE 2:04 P.M. EST: Bob Stauffer reporting that this won’t be a contract buy-out, but rather a contract termination. Looks to me at least like Rajala wanted out of the Edmonton system. Sounds like he could have a bigger money deal waiting overseas. More as it comes.
I’ll update this blog when more news comes out. Follow me @Alex_Thomas14 for quick updates on twitter.
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