Seattle Kraken general manager Ron Francis announced that the club has signed Spokane, Washington, product Kailer Yamamoto to a one-year contract. According to CapFriendly, the contract will have an average annual value (AAV) of $1.5 million.
Yamamoto was recently traded at the 2023 NHL Draft from the Edmonton Oilers to the Detroit Red Wings, where subsequently, the Red Wings bought him out of his contract. In August 2022, he signed a two-year $6.2 million extension with the Oilers that saw a cap hit of $3.1 million.
The 24-year-old spent the 2022-23 season with the Oilers and notched 10 goals and 15 assists for 25 points in 58 games; he added four points in 12 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Yamamoto was selected by the Oilers No. 22 overall in the 2017 NHL Draft after he notched 42 goals and 57 assists for 99 points in 65 games with the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Yamamoto made his NHL debut the following season, appearing in nine contests with the Oilers and picking up three assists in that space before being sent back to Spokane, where he scored 21 goals and 64 points in 40 games. The Spokane skater sits tied for seventh on the Chiefs’ all-time points leaders list, trailing only Greg Leev, Mitch Holmberg, Valeri Bure, Travis Green, Pat Falloon and Ray Whitney.
Yamamoto had spent the last three seasons with the Oilers full-time. In 2019-20, he scored 11 goals and 26 points in 27 games, following that output up with 21 points and 41 points, respectively. Through 244 NHL games, he has scored 50 goals and 68 assists for 118 points. He has logged 12 points in 34 postseason contests.
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