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Buying Out Kailer Yamamoto Is A Good Idea For The Edmonton Oilers

By Devon Hladunewich |
Mar 30, 2023; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Kailer Yamamoto (56) looks to make a pass in front of Los Angeles Kings defensemen Drew Doughty (8) during the first period at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 30, 2023; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Kailer Yamamoto (56) looks to make a pass in front of Los Angeles Kings defensemen Drew Doughty (8) during the first period at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports

The NHL’s buyout period starts on June 15th. There aren’t many buyout options for the Edmonton Oilers, but the main one would be Kailer Yamamoto. Yamamoto currently has a cap hit of $3.1 million, this cost is a bit on the high end for what he brings to the team statistically.

Yamamoto averages just over 0.5 points/game. Being placed in the top six on the Edmonton Oilers I would like that number to be a bit higher. This is why he found himself in the bottom six a couple of times in the playoffs.

Another issue for Yamomot is his size and durability. So far in his career, Yamamoto has never played all 82 games in the season, although he did get 81 in the 2021-22 season.

It Is Worth The Cap Space For The Edmonton Oilers

According to CapFriendly, buying out Kailer Yamamoto this offseason would save the Edmonton Oilers $2.66 million this season and only cost them $533,334 worth of dead cap space next season.

$2.66 million could go a long way for this team this offseason. There is quite a long list of UFA’s and RFA’s that need to be re-signed, plus the Edmonton Oilers would still like to add another top 6 winger if they can.

Right now they do not have much cap space to get everyone under contract and add another skilled player. This is why I think that buying out Yamamoto would be a good option for this team. The skilled forward would be an upgrade on his top 6 spot hopefully.

If they brought in a new player for the top 6 then the main complaint would be that Yamamoto is making too much money while being in the bottom 6.

When it comes to Kailer Yamamoto the Edmonton Oilers are going to keep him in the top 6 and hope he can outperform the numbers he has put up previously. It is either that or they need to buy him out or trade him to clear up the roster spot and cap space.

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