New Jersey Devils Should Consider Signing Kailer Yamamoto

Just days after the Edmonton Oilers traded Kailer Yamamoto to the Detroit Red Wings, who bought him out, he remains a free agent. He’s a player the New Jersey Devils should at least consider. 

Once viewed as an up-and-coming talent on a young Edmonton Oilers team, things have gone all wrong lately for Kailer Yamamoto. Between the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, Yamamoto scored 47 points in 59 games. In the 191 games that followed, Yamamoto has managed only 87 points, scoring 20 goals just once. Yamamoto’s cap hit for the 2023-24 season was going to be a modest $3.1 million, but his trade to the Detroit Red Wings and subsequent buyout suggest that no other teams in the NHL had any interest in paying him that price.

Tom Fitzgerald and the New Jersey Devils wasted no time offloading passengers this offseason, showing Miles Wood the door and trading Mackenzie Blackwood and Yegor Sharangovich away. Sharangovich’s trade yielded Tyler Toffoli in return, so the Devils’ top-six is pretty much set in stone.

However, injuries happened, and Ondrej Palat didn’t produce the same as he did before his injury. Erik Haula failed to find the net on a consistent basis, and the New Jersey Devils’ third line became a revolving door on the Island of Misfit Toys. Kailer Yamamoto could become the newest Devil to fit the description.

The New Jersey Devils, of course, have multiple internal options who could play on their third line. Alex Holtz is one of their top prospects who has failed to make much of an impact at the NHL level. Graeme Clarke is another prospect who recently had an excellent season with the Utica Comets in the AHL after fighting through a slew of injuries in years past. If the Devils choose to add Kailer Yamamoto, it would be unlikely that Clarke or Holtz would see significant ice time in the NHL this season. However, Tyler Toffoli has one year left on his contract, and Yamamoto can only expect to get a one-year offer, so the door could still be open for Clarke and Holtz through next summer.

Kailer Yamamoto was previously bought out of the remaining year left on the two-year, $6.2 million contract he signed last August. Even though the goals and assists haven’t come as often as the 5’8″ winger would’ve liked, Yamamoto is still a quality player in possession. Considering the New Jersey Devils just lost Yegor Sharangovich and Jesper Boqvist – two regular penalty killers – Yamamoto can find a niche there. Yamamoto has scored a short-handed goal in each of the last two seasons and has played more time on the penalty kill than the power play in each of the last three seasons.

And, despite a down year offensively in which he scored just 10 goals and 25 points in 58 games, Yamamoto still shot at a 10% clip.  Yamamoto’s best season offensively came in 2019-20, where he scored 11 goals and 26 points in 27 games on a line with Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. If they so choose, the Devils have the requisite firepower to recapture that magic.

Not only does Kailer Yamamoto have more to give from an offensive standpoint, he also works hard off the puck and plays good defense. Yes, the New Jersey Devils should try to get a little bigger and heavier at forward, but they also need to replace Jesper Boqvist. Alex Holtz and Graeme Clarke aren’t particularly big either, and for his size, Yegor Sharangovich wasn’t very physical himself. At this stage, Yamamoto would likely be a minimal investment with a high two-way upside and is an easy bet to be a rebound candidate in 2023.

If Kailer Yamamoto is willing to accept a one-year ‘prove-it’ deal, he will work wonders for a Devils middle-six that craves a stable presence at both ends of the ice.