Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Kailer Yamamoto

Edmonton Oilers Sign Kailer Yamamoto To One-Year Deal

at CDT | by 2 Comments

The Edmonton Oilers and restricted free agent forward Kailer Yamamoto have come to terms on a one-year bridge deal. The team has announced that Yamamoto has agreed to a $1.175MM contract for 2021-22. Yamamoto will be a restricted free agent again next season.

Both sides are inherently taking a risk with such a short deal. Yamamoto, 22, is betting on himself with this contract. He took a considerable step back last season after a stunning run of 26 points in 27 games in 2019-20. His numbers fell off across the board, eventually including his ice time, as his offense dried up almost entirely late in the year leading to a final tally of eight goals and 21 points in 53 games. For a player of Yamamoto’s skill and creativity, more is expected than .39 points per game, even at his young age. If the 2017 first-rounder cannot improve, he may be stuck with a multi-year contract at or close to his qualifying offer at best.

Of course, if Yamamoto greatly outplays his miniscule salary this season – which should be easy to do – then the pressure will all fall back on the Oilers. While the cap-strapped team is happy to have their young weapon under contract for cheap money this season, they may be regretting not coming to an agreement on a longer term next summer. Yamamoto has already showed that he can score with ease in the NHL, even if that was two years ago. If he can get back on track, likely slotting into one of the more talented top-six groupings in the NHL, he could put up massive numbers in 2021-22 and his price tag will skyrocket.

At the end of the day, the two sides got a deal done without negotiations dragging on into training camp and the relationship growing contentious. That was crucial, as Edmonton needs affordable young talent to buoy several big-money contracts and Yamamoto would be hard-pressed to find a better place to improve his own scoring potential and earning ability than by playing with the likes of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The two sides could continue talking into the season and come to terms on an extension well before next off-season, potentially mitigating the impact on either side somewhat. However, a one-year bridge deal always leaves open limitless possibilities for what could come next.

West Notes: Yamamoto, Demers, Olausson

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

This weekend continues to be a slow one for the hockey news cycle. With less than two weeks until the start of preseason, teams and players remain in limbo alike on remaining negotiations. One of the more prominent restricted free agents remaining is Edmonton Oilers forward Kailer Yamamoto, who needs a new deal after scoring eight goals and 21 points in 52 games last season. It’s a step back in production after he broke onto the scene in 2019-20, scoring 26 points in just 27 games. But as names like Joel Farabee and Drake Batherson, both decent comparables to Yamamoto, have signed larger, longer-term contracts recently, The Edmonton Journal’s Jim Matheson surmises that this likely won’t be the case for Yamamoto. As the addition of Zach Hyman and Warren Foegele into the picture puts Yamamoto’s top-six role in a small amount of jeopardy, combined with a tight salary cap picture for the Oilers, Matheson suggests Tyson Jost’s two-year, $2MM cap hit deal as a closer comparable for the former first-round pick. As of now, that deal would still push Edmonton over the maximum $4.17MM that they’ll be able to exceed the cap by due to Oscar Klefbom being placed on long-term injured reserve. Edmonton is listed as having a full 23-man roster on CapFriendly, though, and could send players like William Lagesson and Brendan Perlini to the minors to become cap-compliant.

Elsewhere from around the Western Conference:

  • PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan writes that unsigned free agent defenseman Jason Demers is still skating in Arizona, hoping to land an NHL role for the upcoming season. While Demers was never known for his offensive production, he scored only four assists in 41 games this year and saw his ice time dip below 20 minutes a night for the first time since 2016-17. His defensive game struggled this season as the 32-year-old defender combatted injury but still remains an effective third-pairing option. Morgan also notes that once Demers is done in the NHL, he plans to make a stop in the Swiss National League, noting it’s always had an appeal to him.
  • The Athletic’s Peter Baugh reports that Avalanche prospect Oskar Olausson has confirmed his intention to join the OHL’s Barrie Colts this season. Attending Avalanche development camp at the moment, Olausson signed his entry-level contract at the end of August. While he was a first-round pick this last season (28th overall), it was unlikely that he’d make the team out of training camp, and now confirms that he won’t return to Europe, reaffirming the news from late August that he’d joined Barrie.

West Notes: Oilers Defense, Yamamoto, Chechelev

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

It has been speculated over the past few weeks that the Oilers are likely to bring a right-shot defenseman on a tryout basis for training camp.  It appears they have a couple of targets in mind as Postmedia’s Jim Matheson pegs veterans Michael Stone and Jason Demers as the likeliest candidates to sign one of those deals with Edmonton.  Stone is no stranger to the PTO route having been on one with Calgary last year before ultimately signing a two-way deal where he got into 21 games with the Flames and four more with AHL Stockton.  Demers hasn’t been in that situation before but after a tough year with Arizona that saw him dropped to a third pairing and reserve role, he may have to settle for a tryout at this stage of free agency.

More from Western Canada:

  • In an interview with 630CHED (audio link), Oilers GM Ken Holland provided a small update on negotiations for RFA winger Kailer Yamamoto. He indicated that both sides took a break from discussions for most of August but recently resumed discussions with more scheduled for early next week.  With Edmonton’s cap space being limited, a short-term bridge deal is likely all they’ll be able to afford barring a trade that opens up some extra room.
  • The Flames announced that 2020 fourth-round pick Daniil Chechelev has signed a one-year AHL deal. The 20-year-old goaltender spent last season split between the VHL and MHL in Russia, suiting up in 40 games along the way.  He joins Dustin Wolf, Adam Werner, and Tyler Parsons as those that will be battling for time with AHL Stockton next season and as a result of that battle, Chechelev may find himself with ECHL Kansas City if they want to give him ample playing time.

Seven Notable RFAs Still Remain Unsigned

at CDT | by 6 Comments

It’s September 5th, which means that NHL preseason hockey is now less than three weeks away. Teams have been dealing with the realities of a flat salary cap for two offseasons now, but for some teams, it’s crunch time as their young star (or stars) remain in need of a new contract for the 2021-22 season.

While it’s obviously preferable for teams to get these players signed so they can join the team right away, teams do technically have until December 1st to sign any RFAs for them to be eligible to suit up this season. However, waiting into the season to sign the RFAs will increase the cap hit for the first year of the deal, something the league saw with William Nylander’s contract in 2018-19.

For some teams, mainly the Vancouver Canucks, that could be an issue. They’re the team that faces the largest potential cap crunch with both Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes to sign. The team currently carries $10.7MM in cap space, but that number could increase to as much as $14.2MM with Micheal Ferland being placed on long-term injured reserve. Pettersson and Hughes both struggled at times this season, but it’s hard to take results from any Canuck into account too much due to the team’s large-scale COVID-19 outbreak. Pettersson was limited to just 26 games because of injury, scoring 21 points. Hughes netted 41 points in 56 games. However, it’s still a hard argument to make that these two aren’t elite talents. Because of this, it’s likely impossible for Vancouver to afford both on long-term deals. One of them will likely be receiving a two-to-four-year contract with a much lower cap hit, but the contracts need to be signed before the start of the season in order to avoid any inflation on the already tight cap hits.

Then there’s two teams who’ve had long, drawn-out negotiations with their respective stars this offseason – the Minnesota Wild and Ottawa Senators. Both Kirill Kaprizov and Brady Tkachuk remain without deals. There appears to be some amount of hope for one team, though. Multiple reports in recent days have suggested the Wild are making progress on a deal, especially considering the deadline has now passed for Kaprizov to sign back home in Russia. The same can’t be said for Ottawa, as Tkachuk has claimed he hasn’t received a legitimate offer from the team and is beginning to get frustrated with the situation (as reported here by TSN’s Shawn Simpson). Ottawa does still have a great amount of salary cap flexibility, though, and they can afford for contract negotiations to stretch into the season.

Staying in Canada, the Edmonton Oilers still have Kailer Yamamoto to lock down in order to fill out their top-six forward group. When Oscar Klefbom is placed on LTIR and Alex Stalock is presumably sent down to the minors, the team will still have just around $1.8MM in cap space. Yamamoto likely won’t be signing anything longer than a two-year deal due to the situation. And though they can create some additional flexibility by not operating with a full roster, Edmonton will still be very interested in avoiding a prorated cap hit as the salary cap situation will remain tight no matter what.

Then there’s the remaining duo of youngsters playing for American teams – Rasmus Dahlin and Robert Thomas. Dahlin’s negotiations will be interesting to watch, purely to see if the team will commit to him long-term or not. The Sabres likely want to pay him more as the team still hasn’t reached the salary cap floor, as they still need to add roughly $2.5MM in cap hits to be cap-compliant. Dahlin will receive much more than that on any deal he signs. The Blues are in a bit of a pickle with Thomas, as the team has just $1.5MM in cap space remaining to ink the promising young forward. Thomas had only 12 points in 33 games this year and spent time injured, but had 10 goals and 42 points the season prior. It’ll likely be a one-year or two-year deal for Thomas, who finds himself in a very similar situation to Yamamoto in Edmonton.

All seven of these players will be watched with a keen eye by many in the hockey community as each day passes before camps open across the league. As the league emerges from the quiet part of the offseason, these players will likely dominate headlines sooner rather than later.

All salary cap figures via CapFriendly.com.

Oilers Notes: Yamamoto, Goaltending, Chaulk

at CDT | by 3 Comments

While young wingers Joel Farabee and Drake Batherson inked six-year deals earlier this week, don’t expect a similar deal to be coming for Oilers winger Kailer Yamamoto.  Postmedia’s Jim Matheson notes that even with that market shifting towards longer-term deals, a bridge contract is still all but a certainty for the 22-year-old who is coming off a quiet year with 21 points in 52 games after putting up just 26 in 27 contests the year before.  Matheson suggests Nashville’s Luke Kunin (two years, $2.3MM AAV) as the type of comparable deal that Yamamoto’s camp could realistically try to work off of while the Oilers may be closer to Jesse Puljujarvi’s deal (two years, $1.175MM AAV) knowing that Yamamoto has limited leverage for this deal.

More from Edmonton:

  • The Oilers carried three goalies down the stretch last season after having all sorts of challenges rostering netminders early on in the campaign but Daniel Nugent-Bowman relays (subscription link) that they won’t do the same in 2021-22, at least to start the year. With Mike Smith set as the starter, that puts Mikko Koskinen and Alex Stalock battling for the second position.  Koskinen has the more recent NHL experience (Stalock didn’t play at all last year) but if their cap situation is tight coming out of training camp, having Stalock be the backup and burying Koskinen in the minors would give them an extra $340K in cap room.
  • Edmonton’s AHL affiliate in Bakersfield has added to their coaching staff as the Oilers announced that Colin Chaulk will join the Condors as an assistant coach. Chaulk last worked in the AHL in 2019-20 as an assistant with AHL Belleville and also has seven seasons of ECHL coaching experience.

Pacific Notes: Zadorov, Yamamoto, Beniers

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

While the Flames and defenseman Nikita Zadorov were only able to agree on a one-year, $3.75MM contract to avoid arbitration, GM Brad Treliving told reporters, including Postmedia’s Wes Gilbertson, that he remains hopeful that a longer-term agreement can be reached by the time he hits unrestricted free agency next summer.  Treliving noted that longer-term deals that would have bought out some UFA years were discussed but they just weren’t able to agree on the money.  Calgary has several other expiring contracts next summer including restricted free agents Matthew Tkachuk and Andrew Mangiapane plus pending UFA Johnny Gaudreau and it stands to reason that they may want to take care of those new contracts to see what they could possibly commit to Zadorov on his next contract.

More from the Pacific:

  • With Edmonton’s cap situation being fairly tight already even with LTIR-bound Oscar Klefbom taken into consideration, there’s a case to be made that a one-year contract for RFA winger Kailer Yamamoto would make the most sense. However, Bruce McCurdy of the Edmonton Journal suggests that a two-year deal would be better to serve as a hedge for Jesse Puljujarvi’s contract next summer even though the AAV on a two-year pact would undoubtedly be higher.  Yamamoto has 52 points in 102 career NHL games and since he has basically only been a regular for the last year and a half with the Oilers, his bridge deal may come in a little lower than some of the other ones that will be handed out to players coming off their entry-level deals this summer.
  • While Matty Beniers will be heading back to Michigan for his sophomore year, GM Ron Francis told Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times that he isn’t ruling out the possibility of the second-overall pick suiting up for the Kraken at some point this season. The NCAA Frozen Four tournament (should Michigan make it that far) will end well before the NHL’s regular season ends (April 29), allowing for the possibility for Beniers to sign and suit up for a few games down the stretch.  The nine-game threshold for burning the first year of his contract would still apply as Beniers would still only be 19 at the time of signing the deal.

Injury Updates: Hayes, Russell, Paquette, Hutton

at CDT | by 4 Comments

Flyers center Kevin Hayes is set to undergo core muscle surgery sometime next week, GM Chuck Fletcher told Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News (Twitter link).  The veteran had indicated last week when the season ended that he would need to go under the knife but the specifics weren’t indicated at that time.  Hayes had a somewhat quiet season offensively with a dozen goals and 19 assists in 55 games, yielding a point per game average that was just below his first season with the team (which was down from the year before that) but still managed to finish seventh in team scoring.  There’s no word on how long the recovery time from the procedure will be.

Other injury news from around the league:

  • Oilers defenseman Kris Russell will not be available when their series against Winnipeg gets underway on Wednesday, notes Postmedia’s Jim Matheson. The veteran suffered a leg injury late last month against Calgary, missing the final eight games as a result.  His physicality and shot blocking are elements that head coach Dave Tippett would like to have on his back end but with him unavailable, Caleb Jones is expected to start on the third pairing.  Meanwhile, winger Kailer Yamamoto, who missed the last two games, will be available to suit up.
  • Hurricanes center Cedric Paquette remains unavailable and was not in the lineup for their opener against Nashville, relays Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer (Twitter link). The 27-year-old last played in late April and has been battling an undisclosed injury since then.  Paquette averaged 4.5 hits per game in Tampa Bay’s Stanley Cup run last season and Carolina will be counting on a similar level of physicality once he’s able to return.
  • Maple Leafs defenseman Ben Hutton doesn’t have an injury but he’s not currently available due to a non-COVID-related medical issue, mentions TSN’s Kristen Shilton (Twitter link). The situation is currently being monitored by team doctors.  Toronto brought the 28-year-old in at the trade deadline for injury depth heading into the playoffs but only suited up four times after being acquired from Anaheim.

Snapshots: Blue Jackets, Islanders, Stastny, Yamamoto

at CDT | by 5 Comments

The Columbus Blue Jackets were forced to trade away center Pierre-Luc Dubois, who demanded a trade. Their return was very good in Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic, however, neither player fulfilled the team’s biggest hole — the one that Dubois left — the No. 1 center. And now, the Blue Jackets are looking for a way to fill that hole, which could be challenging, according to The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline (subscription required).

The team has a history of looking for a No. 1 center in the past as they struggled to find a top center to put next to Rick Nash. Not much has changed as the team has looked like they found their answer in Ryan Johansen and eventually Dubois. However, with Dubois gone and Max Domi playing on the wing at the moment, there again is quite a hole in the top of their lineup. However, Columbus general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said he’s looking outside the organization for help.

“We’ll keep searching and doing our job and building a team. We have some very good potential center ice men growing into that role within our team. But we’re also going to look for ways to strengthen that position from the outside.”

  • The New York Islanders are looking for some help for their third line, according to The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta. The team is looking for a left wing they can pair with Jean-Gabriel Pageau and rookie Oliver Wahlstrom. However, the problem for New York and general manager Lou Lamoriello is that New York has little to no cap space to work with. So, in order to acquire that forward, the team will have to move out equal salary which will be challenging. Up until now, there has been no interest in Leo Komarov. According to Pagnotta, there had been some discussion of swapping Komarov for Brett Connolly, but talks stalled since Florida wasn’t willing to retain some of Connolly’s salary to make the money fit.
  • When asked in his most recent mailbag whether the Winnipeg Jets should consider trading Paul Stastny at the trade deadline, Sportsnet’s Ken Wiebe was quick to answer ’no.’ Stastny, who has moved to the wing and suddenly finds himself next to Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler, has played quite well in that role. With his quiet leadership and stability on the team, Wiebe believes the team will attempt to sign Stastny to a one-year extension to bring him back next year at a cheaper cost rather than trade him away.
  • Edmonton Oilers forward Kailer Yamamoto has been fined $3,854 by the Department of Player Safety for tripping Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson. The fine is the maximum allowable under the collective bargaining agreement. The incident (video here) occurred at 14:12 of the first period when Yamamoto pulled the legs out from underneath Andersson in front of the Flames net. He was assessed a two-minute minor for tripping.

Stretch Run Storylines: Edmonton Oilers

at CDT | by 8 Comments

As things stand, the NHL is planning to have games resume at some point over the coming weeks.  Assuming the regular season continues, there will be plenty of things to watch for over the stretch run.  Over the weeks ahead, PHR will examine the top stretch run storylines for each team.  We continue our look at the Pacific Division with Edmonton.

No one was quite sure what to make of the Edmonton Oilers coming into the 2019-20 season. Back in 2016-17, the team made a promising playoff run, suggested that Connor McDavid was set to take Edmonton to years of deep playoff runs. Instead, the team collapsed for two straight years, being bounced from the playoffs both years and struggling with a weak defense and a lack of top-six talent. Add a new general manager in Ken Holland and the team under new head coach Dave Tippett is back in the playoff race, beginning to look like that 2016-17 team.

Hart Trophy For Draisaitl?

McDavid may be the face of the franchise, but Leon Draisaitl has been grabbing many of the game-to-game headlines as the German center has finally moved from McDavid’s wing to center his own line and has found success. He has formed his own line with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Kailer Yamamoto, which has had great success throughout much of the second half of the season. The 24-year-old who had 50 goals and 105 points a year ago, has already surpassed that point total in less games. He has 43 goals and 110 points through 71 games and is leading the league in scoring.

Could Draisaitl be joining McDavid as a Hart Trophy winner? He is 13 points ahead of McDavid who is second in the league in scoring. With the turnaround success of the Oilers, who are in second place in the Pacific Division, Draisaitl may just be the lead candidate for the trophy.

Trade-Deadline Acquisitions

The Edmonton Oilers picked up three players at the trade deadline in a hope to bolster their defense and their offense to another level. The team gave up two second-round picks in order to pick up the speedy Andreas Athanasiou, while also moving a future fifth-rounder for winger Tyler Ennis. They also moved Kyle Brodziak and a fourth-round pick to Detroit for veteran defender Mike Green.

However, the Oilers have yet to get much of a return on those investments as Athanasiou has appeared in just nine games with just one goal. Ennis has fared better with two goals and four points in nine games. Green has appeared in just two games due to injuries. The hope is all three can make significant strides when/if play resumes. However, if the season is cancelled, the Oilers will only have Athanasiou left as the other two will be unrestricted free agents and no guarantees that they will return next season.

With so few games under their belt, the learning curve for all three players could be significant as they have to learn a new coaching system and how to play with new linemates.

Loss Of A Teammate

With all the tragedy stemming from the COVID-19, the Oilers suffered a separate loss when forward Colby Cave passed away on Apr. 11 when he was placed into a medically-induced coma due to a brain bleed. The forward had appeared in 44 games with the Oilers over the past two years and he played in 11 games this year with Edmonton.

While he wasn’t a full-time player with the Oilers, he was a big part of the team and the Oilers will have to deal with that loss as a team. How the team handles it could have a big effect on how the team performs in the playoffs when/if the league gets the season re-started.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pacific Notes: Dell, Edmonton Injuries, Demers

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

It has been a resurgent season of sorts for Sharks goaltender Aaron Dell.  After it looked like they’d be forced to look for another option following a season where he posted just a .886 SV%, the 30-year-old has bounced back this year and has effectively taken the number one job from Martin Jones for the time being.  Despite that, Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News reports that there have been no discussions regarding a possible contract extension for the pending unrestricted free agent and it appears those will have to occur over the summer.  For his part, Dell appears to be interested in remaining with the team he signed with as an undrafted free agent back in 2013, citing that he and Jones (who is signed through 2023-24) work well together.  With San Jose likely remaining as a cap-strapped team for next season, re-signing Dell may be a more cost-effective option over bringing a more proven option in to push Jones.

More from the Pacific Division:

  • While Edmonton got hit with some tough injury news today, there are also some positives on the horizon. Paul Gazzola of the Oilers’ team website notes that winger Kailer Yamamoto participated in a full practice today and is close to returning as is defenseman Kris Russell.  Both players could potentially return as soon as tomorrow while winger Andreas Athanasiou, who left Wednesday’s game against Vegas early, is also expected to be available.
  • The Coyotes could soon be getting a key part of their back end back in the lineup. Craig Morgan of The Athletic mentions (Twitter link) that Jason Demers is likely to return on Saturday after missing more than three weeks with an oblique injury.  While he doesn’t produce much offensively (just nine points – all assists – in 46 games), he is averaging a little under 21 minutes a night in a top-four role which would be a good boost to a team that stood pat at the trade deadline.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top