A former Edmonton Oiler was placed on waivers on Friday by the Utah Hockey Club.
Kailer Yamamoto was placed there, the club announced, intending to assign him to their AHL affiliate Tuscon Roadrunners.
Yamamoto was selected 22nd overall in the 2017 draft. After two seasons of limited play in 2017-18 and 2018-19, Yamamoto became a regular towards the end of 2019. His emergence as a top-six forward alongside Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins catapulted the Oilers into a playoff spot for the first time since 2017, a few weeks before the Oilers drafted the 5’9” forward.
His 2020-21 season saw the famous sophomore slump strike, scoring just eight goals and 21 points in 52 games, but the forward returned to form in 2021-22, posting a career-high 20 goals and 41 points in 81 games. In his final season with the Oilers in 2022-23, Yamamoto scored 10 goals and 25 points in 58 games.
Before the 2023 draft, the Oilers traded him and Klim Kostin to the Detroit Red Wings, with the Original Six team buying out Yamamoto shortly after. He signed a one-year deal with the Seattle Kraken, scoring eight goals and 16 points in 59 games, but they didn’t give him a qualifying offer, becoming an unrestricted free agent.
Yamamoto signed a professional tryout with the Hockey Club, turning that into a one-year, two-way contract. So far in three games, the 26-year-old has been held pointless with a -1.

Alexis Lafrenière signs seven-year extension

On Friday afternoon, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported that Alexis Lafrenière signed an extension with the New York Rangers. The deal is a seven-year contract worth $52.15 million, or $7.45 million annually.
Lafrenière was selected first overall in the 2020 draft by the Rangers. After accumulating just 47 goals and 91 points, it looked as if Lafrenière was straying towards bust territory. However, the left winger scored a career-best 28 goals and 57 points in 82 games, helping the Rangers win the Presidents’ Trophy.
In the postseason, he scored eight goals and 14 points in 16 games, as the Rangers eventually fell to the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers, in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals.
So far in 2024-25, the 23-year-old who celebrated his birthday two weeks ago has four goals and seven points in seven games.

Several teams monitoring defence market

The Edmonton Oilers aren’t the only team that needs a second-pair right-shot defenceman, as the Montréal Canadiens are reportedly looking for one as well, according to Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli.
It’s been a tough start for the Canadiens, as they have a 2-4-1 record in their seven games, the worst in the Atlantic Division. To make matters worse, they’ve dealt with a handful of injuries to their backend, as Kaiden Guhle has missed time with injury while Mike Matheson is dealing with back spasms despite playing.
The Oilers and the Canadiens aren’t the only teams looking to upgrade their defence though, as the Utah Hockey Club is also looking to add to their backend. Over the past few weeks, two right-shot defencemen on their roster, John Marino and Sean Durzi, underwent surgery and will be out for several months.
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