Tyler Toffoli was sent to the Devils for Yegor Sharangovich and a 3rd round pick, which could set the market value for Kailer Yamamoto.
Today is Day One of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, and the Edmonton Oilers have not yet made a trade to clear up cap space. They need to give themselves room to re-sign Evan Bouchard and Ryan McLeod, while allowing for a few depth signings at minimum.
With $5,832,499 in cap space (according to PuckPedia) that doesn't leave a lot of money for much else once Bouchard and McLeod are locked up. Combined they will probably get at least $4-$5-million.
Kailer Yamamoto & Warren FoegeleKailer Yamamoto or Warren Foegele are the two players most rumored to be on the move. Much speculation has been made on what that deal looks like - but a trade executed yesterday could be a good framework for what to expect in a Yamamoto deal.
Tyler Toffoli was traded to the New Jersey Devils for Yegor Sharangovich and a 2023 3rd round draft pick. Sharangovich is a pending Restricted Free Agent (RFA) who's qualifying offer is $2.05-million. Toffoli has one-year left on his $4.250-million cap hit contract.
Yamamoto could be moved for a forward with a similar cap hit on another team. If he is packaged with a mid round draft pick (3rd to 5th round) they could get an upgrade in point production with the player coming the Oilers' way.
Kailer YamamotoIf the Oilers can't get a good deal for Yamamoto, a buy out could (and should) be considered. Foegele showed well in the playoffs this past post-season and is on a cheaper contract than Yamamoto. The Oilers are in tough with the cap and need to find their way out of it.
Related: Oilers' 2023 Off-Season Guide