Yamamoto was placed on waivers by Utah on Friday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.
Yamamoto appeared in Utah's last three games, recording two hits and a shot on goal while averaging 10:40 of ice time. If he clears waivers, he'll head to the AHL.
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Hockey Club's Kailer Yamamoto: Signs one-year deal
Rotowire
Yamamoto signed a one-year, two-way contract with Utah on Sunday.
Yamamoto turned his professional tryout into a one-year deal ahead of the 2024-25 campaign. He produced eight goals and eight assists in 59 games with Seattle during the 2023-24 regular season. Yamamoto will occupy a depth role with Utah HC and could see playing time in the bottom six.
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Hockey Club's Kailer Yamamoto: Shows promise in top-line audition
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Yamamoto scored twice on three shots and added two PIM in Tuesday's 3-1 preseason win over the Sharks.
Yamamoto played alongside Clayton Keller and Barrett Hayton in this contest, and that trio proved frutiful. The pair of goals were Yamamoto's first two in the preseason. The 26-year-old winger is in Utah's camp on a tryout, and even if he secures a full contract, it seems unlikely for him to have much of a chance at regularly playing on the top line. The spot he filled Tuesday typically belongs to Nick Schmaltz, who didn't dress for this contest.
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Hockey Club's Kailer Yamamoto: Secures PTO
Rotowire
Yamamoto agreed to terms on a professional tryout agreement with Utah HC on Wednesday.
Yamamoto saw action in 59 games for the Kraken last year in which he notched eight goals and eight assists, including six power-play points. Considering his steady decline in production since 2021-22 when he tallied 41 points in 81 games, it shouldn't come as a surprise to see the 25-year-old winger have to go the PTO route in order to find a landing spot for the upcoming season. If he makes the team, Yamamoto figures to take on a bottom-six role but could move up the lineup when injuries inevitably pop up.
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Kailer Yamamoto: Doesn't receive qualifying offer
Rotowire
Yamamoto wasn't issued a qualifying offer by Seattle on Sunday, per PuckPedia, making the 25-year-old forward an unrestricted free agent.
Yamamoto will be eligible to test the market when it opens Monday. He produced eight goals, eight assists and 61 shots on net over 59 games during the 2023-24 campaign.
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Kraken's Kailer Yamamoto: Scores in Saturday's loss
Rotowire
Yamamoto scored a goal on three shots and added two PIM in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Stars.
Yamamoto had been scratched for the previous eight games, but with the Kraken sending down some key AHL players that were getting a taste of the NHL, he got back in the lineup and made the most of the opportunity. He broke up Jake Oettinger's shutout bid with 5:49 left in the third period. Yamamoto has underwhelmed with the Kraken, posting eight goals, 16 points, 59 shots on net and a minus-6 rating over 57 appearances.
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Kraken's Kailer Yamamoto: Helps out on power play
Rotowire
Yamamoto notched a power-play assist in Thursday's 2-1 loss to the Capitals.
Yamamoto has an assist in each of the last two games after spending two contests as a healthy scratch. The 25-year-old winger is up to 15 points (six on the power play), 52 shots on net, 24 hits and a minus-5 rating through 52 contests overall. While he's showing a little more offense recently, Yamamoto's fourth-line role and lack of a guaranteed place in the lineup make him a high-risk, low-reward option in fantasy.
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Kraken's Kailer Yamamoto: Manages helper Tuesday
Rotowire
Yamamoto notched an assist and two shots on goal in Tuesday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Golden Knights.
Yamamoto helped out on Brandon Tanev's third-period tally. The 25-year-old Yamamoto had been scratched in the previous two games, but he drew back in with Jaden Schwartz (upper body) sidelined. Yamamoto is up to 14 points, 51 shots on net, 23 hits, 16 PIM and a minus-5 rating through 51 outings. He has little fantasy appeal with his poor offense and fourth-line role, though he often sees power-play time when in the lineup.
Yamamoto notched a power-play assist in Thursday's 2-0 win over the Penguins.
Yamamoto was a regular in the lineup early in the year, but this was just his ninth appearance in the last 20 games. He'd gone without a point in the previous eight contests in that span before snapping the slump when he set up an Alexander Wennberg tally in the third period. Yamamoto has 13 points, 47 shots on net and a minus-5 rating over 48 outings this season. There's room for him in the lineup while Andre Burakovsky (undisclosed) is out, but Yamamoto has had to compete with Tye Kartye for a fourth-line spot when the Kraken are fully healthy.
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Kraken's Kailer Yamamoto: Losing playing time
Rotowire
Yamamoto has been scratched for nine of the Kraken's 17 games since the start of January.
Yamamoto's role was already limited to a bottom-six assignment. Now, with the Kraken fully healthy, the 25-year-old is having a tough time drawing in even though he's occasionally served as a center this season. Yamamoto's best path to playing time would be to bump Tye Kartye or Brandon Tanev out of the lineup. Through 45 appearances, Yamamoto has 12 points, 46 shots on net, 21 hits and a minus-5 rating.
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Kraken's Kailer Yamamoto: Sacrifices body in Monday's loss
Rotowire
Yamamoto went scoreless in Monday's 3-0 road loss against the Penguins.
While Yamamoto was blanked, he did contribute with two blocked shots. He also had a minor penalty with a minus-1 rating while splitting his two faceoff chances. Yamamoto has managed just one assist with an even plus-minus rating in the past four games since his most recent goal in Calgary on Dec. 27.
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Kraken's Kailer Yamamoto: Produces helper
Rotowire
Yamamoto recorded an assist in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Senators.
Yamamoto set up an Andre Burakovsky tally in the second period, which stretched the Kraken's lead to 3-0. The 25-year-old Yamamoto has played much of the season on the fourth line, and with the Kraken nearing full health up front, his chances to move up are low. He's produced a decent 12 points with 41 shots on net and a minus-3 rating over 39 appearances, but he could be a candidate to be scratched once Jaden Schwartz (lower body) returns.
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Kraken's Kailer Yamamoto: Buries opening goal
Rotowire
Yamamoto scored a goal on two shots in Wednesday's 2-1 win over the Flames.
Yamamoto tallied at 2:24 of the first period after taking a stretch pass from Vince Dunn. This was Yamamoto's fourth goal in December, giving him seven tallies on the season. The 25-year-old winger is up to 11 points, 40 shots on net and a minus-4 rating through 36 appearances. He's likely to remain in a bottom-six role, as Tomas Tatar has fit in well on the Kraken's top line.
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Kraken's Kailer Yamamoto: Two points in win
Rotowire
Yamamoto tallied a goal and an assist in Tuesday's 4-0 win over the Panthers.
Yamamoto opened the scoring early in the second period, gathering a stretch pass from Will Borgen before beating Sergei Bobrovsky on a breakaway. He then added an assist on Pierre-Edouard Bellemare's tally in the third. The two-point effort snaps an 11-game scoring drought for Yamamoto. The 25-year-old winger now has four goals and eight points through 30 games this season. Yamamoto won't offer consistent scoring upside in a bottom-six role, though he has averaged 2:40 of ice time on the power play.
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Kraken's Kailer Yamamoto: One of each in victory
Rotowire
Yamamoto scored a goal and added an assist on one shot in the Kraken's 4-3 shootout win over the Islanders on Thursday.
Yamamoto scored the game-tying goal on the power play, beating Semyon Varlamov with a backhand in front. The former Oiler picked up his second multi-point game of the season, snapping a seven-game point drought in the process. On the season, Yamamoto has three goals and six points in 18 games. The American forward should continue to operate on the fourth line and top power-play unit for the time being.
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Kraken's Kailer Yamamoto: Records two points Monday
Rotowire
Yamamoto collected a goal and an assist in Seattle's 4-3 overtime win over Tampa Bay on Monday.
It was Yamamoto's first multi-point game of the campaign and brought him up to two goals and two assists through 10 appearances. The 25-year-old entered Monday's outing averaging just 11:15 of ice time this year and logged 11:36 versus the Lightning. On the plus side, Yamamoto has a regular role on the second power-play unit, which has led to him contributing two points with the man advantage in 2023-24. That will help him to make an occasional impact offensively throughout the campaign, but Yamamoto will probably need to secure a top-six role before he'll have a chance to be a regular contributor.
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Kraken's Kailer Yamamoto: Chips in with assist
Rotowire
Yamamoto registered a power-play assist and three shots on goal in Thursday's 7-4 win over the Hurricanes.
Yamamoto has a goal and an assist over the last two games after coming up empty in his first three contests with the Kraken. The 25-year-old winger set up Jaden Schwartz's first-period tally. Yamamoto has added six shots on net, three hits and a minus-3 rating through five appearances. His fourth-line role isn't likely to lead to much offense, but he's maintained a spot on the second power-play unit.
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Kraken's Kailer Yamamoto: Scores first goal for new team
Rotowire
Yamamoto scored a goal on two shots in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the Avalanche.
Yamamoto roofed a shot at 15:09 of the first period to open the scoring, but that was all the Kraken could muster against Alexandar Georgiev. The goal was Yamamoto's first with Seattle since he signed in the offseason. He's added three shots on goal, two hits and a minus-3 rating over four contests while skating on the fourth line and second power-play unit.
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Kraken's Kailer Yamamoto: Heads to Seattle
Rotowire
Yamamoto signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with Seattle on Sunday.
Yamamoto slipped to 10 goals and 25 points in 58 appearances with the Oilers last season after scoring 20 goals and 41 points over 81 contests during the 2021-22 campaign. He was bought out by the Red Wings in June following a trade with Edmonton. Yamamoto may occupy a fourth-line spot with the Kraken going into 2023-24.
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Kailer Yamamoto: Placed on unconditional waivers
Rotowire
Yamamoto was placed on unconditional waivers by the Red Wings on Friday for the purpose of buying out his contract, Chris Johnston of TSN reports.
Yamamoto was acquired from the Oilers with Klim Kostin on Thursday. Yamamoto and the Red Wings were unable to come to terms on a new contract, so Detroit decided to part ways with the winger. Yamamoto would have had a $3.1 million salary cap hit in 2023-24 had he remained with the Red Wings, but he'll now cost Detroit $433,334 against the cap during the upcoming campaign and $533,334 in 2024-25. Yamamoto scored 10 times and added 15 assists in 58 games with the Oilers in 2022-23.
