The Edmonton Oilers are now approximately $6M over the salary cap after signing RFA winger Kailer Yamamoto to a 2-year extension worth $3.1M per season on Wednesday. Yamamoto, 23, put up a new career best 41 points last season, notching 20 goals and 21 assists, which were both also career highs.
Yamamoto's new deal brings the Oilers up to 20/23 contracts for next season with 22-year-old Ryan McLeod still in need of a new deal as well - though that one is not expected to break the bank. With the team well over the salary cap, prevailing thought says a trade is coming, but is that really the case?
The Oilers still have a pair of contracts in Oscar Klefbom and Mike Smith that can be moved to LTIR, which amount to slightly over $6.3M combined, so, theoretically, the Oilers can simply LTIR Smith and Klefbom, send down one of Philip Broberg or Evan Bouchard, who are both waivers exempt, or waive Slater Koekkoek and still be able to afford to sign McLeod to a short-term, low AAV extension and be all set to go.
However, since the Oilers have been looking to move Jesse Puljujarvi for several seasons and with the rumours circulating that they could be interested in moving Warren Foegele and that there is a mutual interest between the Oilers and UFA winger Phil Kessel, it still feels likely that a move is on the way.
