The Edmonton Oilers and right winger Kailer Yamamoto have agreed to a two-year contract with an average annual value of $3.1 million.
The Oilers announced the deal Wednesday evening. The team and player avoid a salary arbitration hearing that had been scheduled for Sunday.
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“You never want to really go to an arbitration hearing because in order to try to win your case, you have to probably put things out that you don’t want to put out. It’s a relationship business,” said Oilers general manager, Ken Holland on Wednesday’s edition of Inside Sports on 630 CHED. “That’s a last resort, the arbitration hearing.”
Yamamoto, 23, played 81 regular season games for the Oilers in 2021/22 and racked up 20 goals and 41 points. He had seven points in 14 playoff goals before being injured in the West Final against Colorado.
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“He’s got hockey sense and hands. He’s smart. He doesn’t throw the puck away,” said Holland. “He forechecks. He gets in there and forces the other team’s defencemen to make mistakes. He’s relentless.”
Yamamoto was drafted 22nd overall by the Oilers in 2017. He has 93 points in 186 career games.