Red Wings Acquire Kailer Yamamoto and Klim Kostin from Edmonton for Future Considerations
During the second round of the NHL Draft, the Red Wings announced a trade for Kailer Yamamoto and Klim Kostin from the Oilers
Apr 25, 2023; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Kailer Yamamoto (56) jumps in and attempt to screen Los Angeles Kings goaltender Joonas Korpisalo (70) during the first period in game five of the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports - Red Wings Acquire Kailer Yamamoto and Klim Kostin from Edmonton for Future ConsiderationsDuring the second round of the NHL Draft, the Red Wings announced a trade for Kailer Yamamoto and Klim Kostin from the Edmonton Oilers. The cost of that acquisition? Future considerations.
From Edmonton's perspective, the deal was about clearing cap space for further business. We don't yet know the exact return, but it's safe to assume it will be minimal and won't include a current NHL contract. For the Red Wings, the deal brings a pair of young middle six wingers to town.
Yamamoto is 24 and has one year remaining at $3.1 million against the cap on his current deal. Next summer, he will be an RFA. The Oilers took Yamamoto with the 22nd pick in the 2017 Draft. He arrived as an exciting skilled and speedy, if undersized, forward but never quite lived up to his potential in Edmonton. His career high in points is 41, which he notched in the '21-22 season. Arguably the biggest impediment to his NHL success has been injury. He scored at a similar rate this year (0.43 points-per-game in '22-23 compared to 0.51 the year prior), but he only played in 58 games and wound up with just 25 points.
Klim Kostin brings a much different profile to the Red Wings forward group. At 6-foot-4, 212 pounds, Kostin is anything but undersized, and the Penza, Russia native plays a bruising game commensurate with his stature. He is an RFA with a qualifying offer of $787, 500, so Detroit's first order of business will be re-upping him.
Neither Yamamoto or Kostin is a game-breaking acquisition, but they are both functional NHL wingers, which have not exactly been in abundance around Hockeytown in recent years. Yamamoto in particular might benefit from a fresh start, but he isn't the high-end scorer many Wings fans covet. Kostin will be valuable and unique in the Detroit crop of forwards, but he certainly won't light up the score sheet either.
Still, both will arrive with something of an imperative to prove their worth, which should only work in the Wings' favor, and they could both be long-term useful fits in Detroit.