He might not have ever played a game with the Detroit Red Wings, but Kailer Yamamoto is joining the list of former Detroit players signing professional tryouts this month.
Yamamoto, a 25-year-old winger who last played for the Seattle Kraken, signed a professional tryout (PTO) with the Utah Hockey Club. The club announced the signing on X (formerly Twitter) Wednesday morning.
Last offseason, the Red Wings acquired Yamamoto and forward Klim Kostin from Edmonton in exchange for future considerations. Within days, Detroit bought out Yamamoto. He never played a game in the organization.
In retrospect, it appears that the future considerations in question were to take Yamamoto off the Oilers’ hands in exchange for Kostin, a player whose potential as a physical scorer intrigued the Red Wings. However, Kostin didn’t last long in Detroit either, struggling to crack the lineup as last season progressed. The Red Wings traded Kostin to San Jose at the deadline for an AHL defenseman and a seventh round draft pick. Yamamoto is still on the Red Wings’ cap sheet for one more season at $533,333.
Apr 25, 2023; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Kailer Yamamoto (56) jumps in and attempt to screen Los Angeles Kings goaltender Joonas Korpisalo (70) during the first period in game five of the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
Once a well-regarded prospect within the Oilers’ system, Yamamoto possesses strong skating and a decent scoring touch to make up for his undersized 5-foot-8 frame. Since breaking into the NHL, Yamamoto has recorded 134 points in 303 career NHL games, mostly in a middle six scoring role. But, last season with the Kraken saw his scoring decline to just 16 points in 59 games, his worst productivity since 2019-20, a season he spent split between the NHL and AHL.
While he didn’t sign a free agency offer, Yamamoto has the opportunity to earn on in training camp. At 25, he’s still a relatively young player with some scoring upside for teams that aren’t afraid of his small stature.
Yamamoto is one of five former Red Wings to sign PTO offers this offseason, joining goaltender Michael Hutchinson and forwards Sam Gagner, Adam Erne and Jakub Vrana on the list.
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