Ex-Oilers winger Kailer Yamamoto is being bought out: report
Kailer Yamamoto’s time with the Detroit Red Wings appears to have been extremely short-lived.
Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli is reporting that the Red Wings are buying out the final year of Yamamoto’s contract. The 24-year-old was set to enter the second year of his contract, which carried a cap hit of $3.1 million.
Matt Duchene (NSH), Blake Wheeler (WPG), Yamamoto (DET), Reilly (BOS) and all on unconditional waivers today for purposes of a buyout.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) June 30, 2023
Yamamoto was acquired by the Red Wings yesterday alongside Klim Kostin in exchange for future considerations. In 58 games this season, he scored 10 goals and 25 points.
While it is surprising to see the Red Wings go this route after acquiring Yamamoto just a day prior, it isn’t the first time there has been buyout chatter surrounding his name. Had Oilers general manager Ken Holland not been able to find a trading partner, there was plenty of speculation that he would be bought out in Edmonton.
It has been quite the fall from grace for Yamamoto, who appeared destined for stardom after recording 11 goals and 26 points in 27 games during the 2019-20 season. He was never able to find that success in the seasons that followed, posting rather mediocre numbers despite often playing on a line with Connor McDavid.
Despite Yamamoto’s inconsistencies through the first 244 games of his NHL career, he will likely have several teams interested in signing him as a free agent. Not only is he a former first-round pick, but he is still quite young. Perhaps a change in scenery is exactly what he will need to become the player the Oilers hoped they were getting when they selected him 22nd overall in 2017.
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