Utah’s impressive preseason has continued with their fourth win this year. With more and more roster cuts happening over the past couple of days, time is running out for players to prove themselves to the organization. Tuesday’s game against the San Jose Sharks however saw a player finally break out and prove that he belongs with the team this season. Here are my takeaways from Utah’s 3-1 win on Tuesday evening.
Kailer Yamamoto Has Arrived
It seemed like Kailer Yamamoto had been doing almost everything right. The Spokane native had played well on all of his lines and had gotten quality shots off in most of his games. However, he couldn’t get anything in the net. It was Tuesday’s game that proved to be the end of his scoring drought.
Yamamoto’s first goal came off a nice pass from Barrett Hayton which was then put into the net by the forward. It also ended up being the game-winning goal. However, his second was more impressive. Clayton Keller got the puck from a beautiful spin pass by Hayton. Keller then sent it to the net for Yamamoto to collect the loose change and score. It was his second of the game and the final goal of the game as well.
Yamamoto is with Utah on a professional tryout contract (PTO). After spending most of his career with the Edmonton Oilers, the forward was bought out last offseason and signed with his hometown team: the Seattle Kraken. However, it wasn’t the homecoming Yamamoto was hoping to have as he only scored 16 points in 59 games.
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A fantastic season from Yamamoto hasn’t been unheard of. He had 41 points in the 2021-22 season. He’s also no stranger to playing with talented players. The forward played with Connor McDavid during his time with the Oilers. The experience he’s had makes him a valuable player to put on a line with a guy like Keller who is a star in his own right.
The Hayton, Keller, and Yamamoto line played pretty well in Tuesday’s game. With two preseason games left, head coach Andre Tourigny has time to potentially test the trio out again. Of course, Nick Schmaltz usually is the third man on the line but it’s up to Tourigny to see who fits the line better.
Arguably, Yamamoto has done enough to warrant a contract somewhere in the league. The game against the Sharks has pretty much proved that. The question is if it’ll be with Utah. Yamamoto is better than guys like Liam O’Brien and with Nick…
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