Mammoth Sign Kailer Yamamoto To Extension

According to a team announcement, the Utah Mammoth have signed Kailer Yamamoto to a two-year, $3.5MM ($1.75MM AAV) extension through the 2027-28 season. Yamamoto was less than 48 hours away from becoming an unrestricted free agent.

There was a time, not all that long ago, that Yamamoto was viewed as a potential long-term winger in the Edmonton Oilers’ top six. From 2019 to 2022, Yamamoto scored 39 goals and 88 points in 160 games for the Oilers with a +25 rating, averaging 16:47 of ice time. Unfortunately, the momentum came to a complete halt during the 2022-23 campaign.

Yamamoto had a respectable season, scoring 10 goals and 25 points in 58 games, but a long-term injury kept him out for a decent chunk of the year. Not knowing how he would respond to the upper-body injury, the Oilers traded Yamamoto and Klim Kostin to the Detroit Red Wings the following summer, though Detroit would ultimately buy him out.

An unrestricted free agent for the first time, the Spokane, WA native signed a one-year contract with the Seattle Kraken. He had some decent moments with the Kraken, but it was largely a failed experiment, finishing with a career-low eight goals and 16 points in 59 games.

Yamamoto headed to Utah ahead of the 2024-25 campaign. He spent much of the season with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners, scoring an impressive 20 goals and 56 points in 54 games with a +17 rating.

Although he didn’t offer much in the NHL, his AHL performance was enough for the Mammoth to give him a second consecutive league minimum deal. This time, Yamamoto spent the entire season in the NHL and played better than he has in a long time.

In 59 games, Yamamoto registered 13 goals and 23 points with a +11 rating, averaging 11:48 of ice time. On an 82-game average, Yamamoto’s scoring pace would have been good for an 18-goal, 32-point season. Few teams will say no to additional offense, and it’s no surprise that the Mammoth were happy to retain him if he can register double-digit goal totals with bottom-six minutes.