Oilers sign Kailer Yamamoto to a very short term deal.

The Edmonton Oilers have just completed an important piece of business.

First let's get to the news. According to an official announcement made by the Oilers on Saturday morning, the organization has agreed to a brand new deal with restricted free agent forward Kailer Yamamoto. National Hockey League insider John Shannon was the first to report the details of the contract, revealing that Yamamoto has agreed to a one year deal that will carry a cap hit of $1.175 million for the 2021 - 2022 regular season.

The initial reaction I have seen to this deal has been overwhelmingly positive and it isn't hard to see why. Although Yamamoto is coming off of a down year, recording 8 goals and 13 assists for 21 points over 52 games, the low cap hit on a short term deal is great for a cap strapped team like the Oilers. It is especially appealing when you consider his point totals from last season marked a fairly significant regression from the 11 goals and 15 assists, a total of 26 points, he put up over just 27 games in the previous season.

Therein however lies the potential trap that awaits Oilers general manager Ken Holland and the Oilers organization. It is true that following the conclusion of this contract they will retain control of Yamamoto's NHL rights, the forward will once again be a restricted free agent at the end of the season, but it could be a scenario in which the player will become much more expensive to keep on the roster.

Should Yamamoto revert to the form he was able to display during the 2019 - 2020 regular season, or even get close to that kind of performance, his next contract will come with a significantly higher price tag attached to it for the Oilers. The fact that the Oilers control his rights does mitigate that somewhat, giving them the opportunity to trade the player in the offseason for example, but there's no doubt that there is a risk in giving Yamamoto this deal if you're the Oilers.

No doubt Yamamoto was looking to gamble on himself with a short term deal, and now he will get the chance to do just that.