Report: It appears Kailer Yamamoto is done in Edmonton

It's no secret that the Edmonton Oilers are facing a cap crunch this offseason.

What else is new?

Under GM Ken Holland the Oilers seem to be in a cap crunch every year and this offseason Holland may have to get creative in order to get his team under the cap, while icing a Stanley Cup contending roster.

In particular, there's been some discussion in Oil Country this offseason that Holland could use contract buy-outs with the most likely targets being Kailer Yamamoto or Warren Foegele. Most fans seem to agree Yamamoto makes the most sense for a buy out, but NHL insider Frank Seravalli reports that Holland won't have to go down that road. According to Seravalli, Holland and the Oilers have someone 'in their pocket' who would take Yamamoto for free via trade.

“My sense is the #Oilers know already and have in their pocket…someone that will take Yamamoto for free”“My sense is the #Oilers know already and have in their pocket…someone that will take Yamamoto for free.”

- Frank Seravalli

Yamamoto has one year left on a deal that pays him $3.1 million, a deal he signed with Holland last offseason. The former 1st round pick (22nd overall in 2017) scored 10 goals and 25 points in 58 games with the Oilers this past season, following a 20 goal, 41 point campaign in 2021-22. 

To me, the buy out talk surrounding Yamamoto never made much sense. Sure, he's slightly overpaid but it's not like he's on a $10 million contract. The guy makes $3.1 million and he can chip in offensively... there must be teams around the NHL who can see the value in him as a player. On the flip side of the coin, Yamamoto has been given plenty of opportunities to take his game to the next level, most notably by playing with a couple guys named McDavid and Draisaitl, but has failed to deliver consistent results. Cap savings aside, it may simply be time for Yamamoto to move on to new opportunities so that he can deliver on all the promise he showed early in his career.