Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland open to re-signing Kailer Yamamoto

Another twist in the Kailer Yamamoto saga could be unfurling in the coming days.

Just two days after Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland was forced to trade the 2017 first-round pick to the Detroit Red Wings, he’s mentioned he would be interested in a reunion with the winger.

The Red Wings acquired Yamamoto, alongside Klim Kostin, on Thursday in exchange for future considerations. Detroit took the hit of buying out Yamamoto’s final deal, and in turn, signed Kostin to a two-year deal paying him $2-million a year.

Yamamoto’s buyout meant that he hit unrestricted free agency on Saturday morning making him eligible to sign with any team — the Oilers included — due to the fact that Edmonton didn’t retain any money in the trade.

On Saturday afternoon, Holland said that Yamamoto was testing the free agent market, but at the right price, would be open to bringing him back to the Edmonton Oilers.

Evolving Hockey’s contract projection model is high on Yamamoto, suggesting that on a one-year deal he could earn up to $3.293-million — more than his previous contract was paying him. The truth of the matter, however, is that with his injuries last year and solid, but very inconsistent scoring over the last two seasons, he’s likely going to be earning half of that, if not less, on a short-term deal.

I opined about the possibility of bringing Yamamoto back on Friday, suggesting that a deal in the $1-million to $1.5-million range would be tenable. The Oilers, however, are tight to the cap with just $4.845-million in space and the team still needs to re-sign RFA’s Ryan McLeod and Evan Bouchard. Other RFA’s in Raphael Lavoie and Oliver Rodrigue are in need of deals, too.

This will certainly be a story to follow in the coming days.

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.