The Edmonton Oilers have re-signed developing forward Kailer Yamamoto for the 2021-22 season. The 2017 draftee was only a secondary piece in 2020-21, but he is poised to assume a larger role when 2021-22 begins. Yamamoto’s next contract is a one-year deal at $1.175 million. The team announced the deal Saturday morning.
Y A M O
The #Oilers have agreed to terms with Kailer Yamamoto on a one-year contract extension with an AAV of $1.175 million. #LetsGoOilers
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) September 18, 2021
Oilers Re-Sign Kailer Yamamoto
Yamamoto was a good supporting piece for the Oilers this year. He scored eight goals and 21 points in 52 games while also contributing 52 hits and 40 blocks. This was all done in an average of 16:22 of ice time per evening. Nothing was particularly outstanding, but it is nice to see someone post average numbers in their first mostly-full season; Yamamoto had not appeared in more than 27 games since he was drafted.
Edmonton originally selected the Spokane, Washington native with the 22nd overall pick in the 2017 Draft. They have taken a slow approach to his development, playing him in only handfuls of games until 2019-20. Yamamoto has just 20 goals and 52 points as a professional, but it is hard to draw major conclusions from just 105 games across four regular seasons. He needs more opportunity before his ceiling becomes clear.
What Comes Next
Yamamoto should have no trouble winning a spot on the team’s top six in 2021-22. The top line is largely decided, but the former Spokane Chief looks like an easy inclusion next to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on the second line. It is not outrageous to think that the young Oiler could score 35-45 points with a consistent role next to one of the team’s premier scoring talents.
Edmonton has several players to re-sign yet. None are vital core pieces, but Jujhar Khaira and Dominik Kahun still have important roles to play supporting a generational talent like Connor McDavid. They also may decide to spend some of their remaining cap space on external free agents. The only thing we can assume is that the team is very eager to push forward in the playoffs while the main players are still fairly young. That should drive many of their decisions this summer.
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