A short-term deal for Kailer Yamamoto seems likely
Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Sun: The Edmonton Oilers don’t have a lot of salary cap space available and it may lead to a Kailer Yamamoto bridge contract. Where he fits into the lineup is also a question – is he a top-six winger or a third-line winger?
Flyers Joel Farabee and Senators Drake Batherson could be comparables and they both sign six-year deals for around $30 million. The Oilers may want to see more of Yamamoto before committing that much on a long-term deal.
Oilers GM Ken Holland,
“First off, he doesn’t have arbitration rights (new deal), so it has to be a negotiation and obviously there’s a cap and we made some moves with the moves and signings and were tight. Certainly he’s a good, young player but I went out and got some established forwards…and we have other right-wingers in (Josh) Archibald and (Zack) Kassian and Jesse (Puljujarvi), those are all factors.”
Comparables on a short-term deal could include Tyson Jost (two years, $4 million), Max Comtois (two years, $2.03 million AAV), Alexander Texier (two years at $1.5 million per) and Brandon Hagel (three years at $1.5 million per).
Signing Yamamoto to a one-year deal and not a two-year could also be an option.
Playoff failure could lead to Maple Leafs changes
NHL.com: You can expect changes to the Toronto Maple Leafs if they have another unsuccessful Stanley Cup Playoffs run, and that could include GM Kyle Dubus.
“I think it’s certainly fair to say that if there aren’t changes to our performance in the end that there will be changes to the organization,” Dubas said on “The Bob McCown Podcast” on Thursday. “That comes with the territory in operating in a market like this and operating with a team that hasn’t reached its potential in the playoffs.”
Dubas added.
“I think it’s certainly fair to ponder , and especially given the fact that we’re going to return the same core group, which I have great belief in. If I didn’t have belief in it, knowing the consequences to the team, we wouldn’t have returned it.”