About 24 hours after the team acquired him, the Detroit Red Wings are set to buy out the final year of Kailer Yamamoto’s contract.
The 24-year-old winger had one more year left on his deal with an AAV of $3.1 million. The Red Wings acquired him from the Oilers on Thursday as part of a cap dump that also included Klim Kostin. Kostin, a forward, is expected to sign with Detroit.
Yamamoto, a 5-foot-8 forward, has spent his entire NHL career with the Oilers since getting drafted 22nd overall in 2017. Yamamoto had 10 goals and 25 points this year, a big step back from his 20-goal, 41-point output a year prior. The American forward had two stints on LTIR this season with undisclosed injuries, forcing him to miss nearly 25 games.
A high-scoring forward in junior hockey, Yamamoto never really seemed to break out of his comfort zone with the Oilers. He has 50 goals and 118 points in 244 games to his credit over seven seasons and 12 points in 34 playoff games.
According to Cap Friendly, the Red Wings will have close to $30 million in cap space heading toward free agency on July 1. At a minimum, the team will need to shore up its goaltending situation behind Ville Husso, and fill up close to nine roster spots. Joe Veleno is the most prominent RFA, while Pius Suter, Robert Haag and Alex Chiasson is among the most notable UFAs. Alex Nedejkolvic is also a UFA and is not expected to return after getting sent down to the AHL earlier in the season.
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