The Detroit Red Wings acquired Kailer Yamamoto and the rights to restricted free agent forward Klim Kostin from the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday, and both players came for future considerations.
For the Oilers, the decision was difficult, as GM Ken Holland told the Oilers’ website’s Michael Arcuri:
“I think if the cap was $86 or $87 million, it would work out. It’s just that the cap never moved,” Holland said. “Skinner’s due a raise. Bouchard’s due a raise. McLeod’s due a raise. We made a deal for Ekholm at the deadline.
“It’s just the evolution of the way the system works, so the money gets moved around. I like Yamo. When we did [his contract] it last year, I had no idea what the cap was going to be this year. I was hoping that maybe we could catch up and get the cap moving. The cap doesn’t move, it goes from $82.5 million to $83.5 million, so we’ve got to make difficult decisions.”
In the case of Kostin, the forward was a restricted free agent looking for a significant raise over the $750,000 he made last season after a solid breakout campaign that saw the Russian winger notch 21 points (11G, 10A) in 57 games with the Blue & Orange. Due to Kostin’s excellent performance and Russian roots, the Oilers also had to deal with the looming threat of the KHL (Kontinental Hockey League), where the forward was reportedly receiving overtures from teams within his home country to add another wrench into an already difficult negotiation.
“I talked to Klim Kostin’s agent multiple times. Really, I was negotiating against the KHL, so I knew we weren’t going to be able to find a way to keep him. So, I had to trade the player,” Holland said about the negotiations. “[Detroit Red Wings Executive Vice President & General Manager] Steve Yzerman was really interested in Klim Kostin, and obviously the $3 million for Yamo, I had to get some money off the cap.”
TSN’s Ryan Rishaug confirmed that the Oilers were going to buy out Yamamoto to gain salary cap space, the Edmonton Journal’s David Staples simply called the move a “poison pill” for the Oilers, and Kostin may have signed in the KHL, as Sportsnet’s Mark Spector confirmed…
How about Yamamoto, a first-round draft pick in 2017 who played his first 244 NHL games with this organization? Like a game of Snakes and Ladders, he goes from a team that is within spitting distance of the Stanley Cup to Detroit, where the Red Wings finished 24th last season and are reminiscent of the team Yamamoto joined in Edmonton in 2018-19.
Detroit is on the come, but are likely three more seasons away from where the Oilers are today. Maybe four. Why didn’t it work out in Edmonton for Yamamoto?
“Well, if the cap was $86 or $87 (million), I think it would have worked out. It’s just, the cap never moves,” said Holland. “(Stuart) Skinner’s due a raise, (Ryan) McLeod’s due a raise, (Evan) Bouchard’s due a raise, we made a deal for (Mattias) Ekholm at the deadline… So there’s got to be (sacrifice).”
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As for Kostin, he was a luxury the Oilers simply could not afford to keep.
In Edmonton, Kostin is a fourth-line player. As such, he can not be paid more than about $1 million.
His agent had been negotiating with Avangard Omsk of the KHL, where he could receive a sum that would approach what the Oilers would pay — but with the tax differences, his take-home would be far better.
The Edmonton Sun’s Robert Tychkowski concurred…
“Everything is cap-related,” Holland said. “This is my fifth year here and the cap has moved $2 million. It should probably move three to four million every year if there was no pandemic. It’s unique times. It just gets tighter and tighter and tighter.”
This closes the book on Yamamoto, the Oilers first-round pick (22nd overall) in 2017. The 5-foot-8 winger made a big impact when he first joined the Oilers in the winter of 2019-20, putting up 26 points in 27 games on a line with Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to help spark a slumping team back into a playoff spot.
But things trailed off after that and he struggled to stay healthy last season. In 58 games, he generated 25 points and had four points in 12 post-season games.
This a tough one for Yamamoto, a hard-working and popular member of the Oilers who moves from a Stanley Cup contender close to his home in Spokane, Wash., to a bottom-dweller in Detroit.
Nobody will ever question the 24-year-old’s heart and determination, just making the NHL at 150 pounds is an accomplishment in itself, but the wear and tear caught up with him and his production in a top-six spot isn’t where a contending team needs it to be.
“I like Yamo,” Holland said. “When we did (his contract) last year I had no idea what the cap was going to be this year, hoping that maybe we could catch up and get the cap moving. The cap doesn’t move. It goes from $82.5 million to $83.5 million so I have to make difficult decisions. If the cap was $87 million, it would have worked out, it’s just that the cap never moves. And now Stuart Skinner is due a raise, Bouchard is due a raise, McLeod is due a raise. We made a deal for Ekholm at the deadline, who makes $6 million. It’s just the evolution of how thew system works. The money gets moved around.”
NHL.com’s Derek Van Diest offers us both Holland and Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman’s perspectives on the move…
“Kostin is a big guy who skates well, and it looks like he took a step in Edmonton this year and has a chance to maybe get a bigger opportunity in Detroit,” Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman said Thursday. “We’ll see what the plan is for Kailer, we’ll kind of get back (to Detroit) and evaluate. He has a lot of skill, he’s useful and can play in all situations.
Yamamoto had 25 points (10 goals, 15 assists) in 58 regular-season games for the Oilers and four points (one goal, three assists) in 12 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
The 24-year-old forward has one season remaining on a two-year contract ($3.1 million average annual value) he signed with the Oilers on Aug. 3, 2022, and can become a restricted free agent after next season.
“I like ‘Yammo,’ and when we did (his last contract) I had no idea what the (NHL salary) cap was going to be this year, hoping that we could catch up and get the cap moving,” Oilers GM Ken Holland said. “The cap doesn’t move, it goes from 82.5 to 83.5 (million) so we have to make difficult decisions.”
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Kostin set NHL career highs in goals (11), assists (10) and points (21) in 57 regular-season games this season and had five points (three goals, two assists) in 12 playoff games. The 24-year-old forward can become a restricted free agent July 1.
“I talked to Klim Kostin’s agent multiple times and was really negotiating against the [Kontinental Hockey League], so I knew we weren’t going to be able to find a way to keep him, so I had to trade the player,” Holland said. “Steve Yzerman was really interested in Klim Kostin and obviously $3 million for Yammo, I had to get money off the cap.”
