The Edmonton Oilers traded two players and made three selections as the 2023 NHL Entry Draft wrapped up Thursday in Nashville.
Forwards Kailer Yamamoto and Klim Kostin were dealt to the Detroit Red Wings for future considerations.
Yamamoto has one year left on a contract that pays him $3.1-million per season. He had 118 points in 244 games with the Oilers, who drafted him 22nd overall in 2017.
“For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been communicating with teams, letting them know that we have salary cap challenges,” explained Oilers general manager Ken Holland.
“When it became official that the cap was $83.5 (million), I had to move some people out.”
Kostin becomes a restricted free agent on Saturday. He may wind up signing a deal with a team in Russia.
“I talked to Klim Kostin’s agent multiple times,” Holland explained. “Really was negotiating against the KHL.
“I knew we weren’t going to be able to find a way to keep him.”
Kostin was acquired from the St. Louis Blues in October. He had 21 points in 57 games as an Oiler.
As for the draft, in the second round, the Oilers took defenceman Beau Akey 56th overall. Akey, 18, had 11 goals and 36 assists in 66 games for the Barrie Colts in the OHL last season.
“We really like him,” said Tyler Wright, the Oilers’ director of amateur scoring. “(He’s a) smooth-skating, smart, puck-moving defenceman.”
“I’m kind of a hockey nerd so I always want to get better at everything,” said Akey, who is listed as being six-feet-tall and 174 pounds. “Specifically, my defensive game. To compete at the next level, I have to work on my defensive game.”
The Oilers didn’t pick again until the sixth round when they grabbed goalie Nathaniel Day 184th overall. Day, 18, comes from the Flint Firebirds in the OHL, where he went 17-10 with a 3.91 goals-against-average and an .874 save percentage. He is six-foot-two and 181 pounds.
“He had a really good playoff,” Wright noted. “He took over the starting job in the playoffs as a young guy.”
Finally, the Oilers selected centre Matt Coppani in the seventh round — 216th overall. The 20-year-old spent last season with Merrimack College, putting up 29 points in 37 games. He comes in at 5’11” and 174 pounds.
“We talk about playoffs and getting harder to play against,” said Wright. “He’s not the biggest guy in the world, but plays extremely hard.”
Free agency opens at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Bob Stauffer will host special coverage on 630 CHED from 10 a.m. until noon.
Comments