Maybe because everyone knows you take great satisfaction in pointing out every mistake Pouliot makes so we're just doing you a favour.
Player Discussion Nail Yakupov
- Thread starter McYoungGuns
- Start date
- Status
Maybe because everyone knows you take great satisfaction in pointing out every mistake Pouliot makes so we're just doing you a favour.
Replacement*
Checked out
Well, given that of any player on this team he's the most prone to taking selfish penalties that cost the team its not hard to note.
He's a vet player being paid amply here to be better than a me first player.
Do you really disagree with that?
KeithIsActuallyBad
You thrust your pelvis, huh!
Don’t disagree but we know you’ve had your mind made up about the player before he even put the oiler jersey on. It was clear that we had to take the bad with the good when signing Pouliot but funny time to bring this up when he’s only made us short-handed in 3 out of the last 15 games he’s played - which I'm sure is less than Hendricks.
When he costs this team, I’m sure McLellan will see fit to punish him accordingly but whatever fits your narrative when discussing the players you already have your mind made up about right?
Replacement*
Checked out
I don't like that the player has been a career underachiever which has only continued here. The reality is we have a well paid vet recruit who on many nights is satisfied being a passenger. In other words Pouliot being the same Pouliot he's been the vast majority of his career.
How was I wrong about the player?
Do you think we're getting value?
He doesn't drive anything and is mere beneficiary of most of his numbers. He is very good at puck deflection. But that's the most of it.
Frankly we get more out of Kassian.
ChaoticOrange
Registered User
He's got another year on his current deal. Let him play it out. He's still an RFA when it expires. Don't need to rush anything, he's not hurting the team with his play.
Aerchon
Registered User
- Jul 20, 2011
- 10,547
- 3,775
Yak has not been good enough offensively to offset his poor play in every zone this year, except when being carried by McDavid.
He has not put it all together. I think he can, but doubt it will be for this team.
Just doesn't do enough on this team to warrant a roster spot. Any big body is a wash or upgrade barring when we have massive injuries and need him for top 6 depth.
He has not put it all together. I think he can, but doubt it will be for this team.
Just doesn't do enough on this team to warrant a roster spot. Any big body is a wash or upgrade barring when we have massive injuries and need him for top 6 depth.
Beerfish
Registered User
- Apr 14, 2007
- 19,513
- 5,665
People like to trash various players for their try level but Pouliot is down right lazy at times imo. He gains energy in the offensive zone but is sloth like once the team loses the puck. I'd be pretty happy if we could upgrade on him but probably not due to his contract.
Dazed and Confused
Ludicrous speed, GO!
He's cleaned up his defencive play this year to the point that here's not a liability, so there's that.
He's young, cost controlled, and has a great attitude. He's a bust only if you look at his draft spot, but he's still useful to this team.
Also for all the people claiming his success is due to McDavid, remember he was just as effective last year with a waiver-wire centre in Roy. He's a competentary player to a skill centre. There's nothing wrong with that, especially when this team has 3 centres that can drive the play.
Honestly I'm a little surprised that he's never been tried on the PK. I can't see him being the one to turn down the role, and it would help him get more involved with the game.
He's young, cost controlled, and has a great attitude. He's a bust only if you look at his draft spot, but he's still useful to this team.
Also for all the people claiming his success is due to McDavid, remember he was just as effective last year with a waiver-wire centre in Roy. He's a competentary player to a skill centre. There's nothing wrong with that, especially when this team has 3 centres that can drive the play.
Honestly I'm a little surprised that he's never been tried on the PK. I can't see him being the one to turn down the role, and it would help him get more involved with the game.
molsonmuscle360
Registered User
Exactly. We have a guy who is a solid 3rd liner, who can also move up when needed at this point in his career. Maybe now with McDavid and Hall taking the heavy lifting, Yak can work with Kassian to provide energy on the third line like they have been doing lately.
There is absolutely no reason to hate on the kid at this point. He didn't live up to his draft potential, but who cares...We have McDavid to make up for our prior drafting slips.
CanadianSniper
Registered User
What about trying Yak on the LW? I don't think he's been tried there yet but switching to your off wing has worked out lots in the past for different players. Voracek switching to LW on Girouxs wing so they can make a Voracek - Giroux - Simmonds Line and it has worked wonders there this year. Same with when Ovie switched to his off wing he found a resurgence. I don't know if it's a solution but seems like it could be worth a try if they haven't already?
McDNicks17
Moderator
I think some people are too hard on the kid.
A 35-40 point pace is pretty good for where he's been playing in the lineup(9th in EVTOI/GM).
His GF/60 in all situations is sitting at 7th on the Oilers(right behind Purcell and ahead of Eberle).
He's scoring like a 3rd liner and being paid like a 3rd liner. I don't really see the problem right now.
A 35-40 point pace is pretty good for where he's been playing in the lineup(9th in EVTOI/GM).
His GF/60 in all situations is sitting at 7th on the Oilers(right behind Purcell and ahead of Eberle).
He's scoring like a 3rd liner and being paid like a 3rd liner. I don't really see the problem right now.
Replacement*
Checked out
Yeah, talented player on a very low paying contract that is doing whats asked of him and playing a role. Something that should have happened under Eakins and didn't.
The reality is we're behind on development with this player but if the willingness to learn continues, and its clearly there, then whats the problem?
McDNicks17
Moderator
It's also probably worth nothing that, even though it's a small sample size(32 mins), Kassian/Letestu/Yak have a 61.4% Corsi together right now.
They've been unlucky(low SH%/SV%), but they seem to be clicking.
They've been unlucky(low SH%/SV%), but they seem to be clicking.
Most of that production came with McDavid, so his actual production when playing on the third line is much worse.
McDNicks17
Moderator
He has the 7th highest 5v5 GF/60 away from McDavid on the team. That's 3rd line production relative to his teammates.
5v5 GF/60 Away from McDavid:
Draisaitl: 3.06
Hall: 3.02
Purcell: 2.59
RNH: 2.51
Eberle: 1.72
Pouliot: 1.62
Yakupov: 1.42
Hendricks: 1.35
Kassian: 1.28
Letestu: 1.27
Korpiksoki: 1.23
Pakarinen: 1.20
Last edited:
So what does that translate to in terms of points over a full season assuming third line ice time? If he plays 13 minutes a night, what could be reasonably assumed he would earn in terms of points over an 82 games span?
TheRebuild
Bold as Boognish
One thing I don't get about Yak is, he looked his best, his first season. Every season since then he has gone a bit further down hill. Hard to believe a player would "peak" their first freaking season.
Lets be honest though. That pace he's on is almost entirely based on the ~10 games he played with McDavid. Otherwise he's shooting pretty damn near close to blanks.
But I do I like the line he's on. I think he fits in well with Kassian and Letestu is a smart player. I've got no issues with Yakupov playing where he is, and getting opportunity to move up when other players slump/are injured/get moved.
I only start taking issues when people start to suggest that he's in any way comparable to Jordan Eberle. Unfortunately, he's not. Just very different levels of player. And that's with or without McDavid.
I hope he continues to evolve as a player and succeeds here. I don't see much point in trading him at this stage of his career, so hopefully he finds some success here even if it's on the bottom 1/2 of the forward roster.
No matter how good/bad he is on the ice, I'll always love Yakupov's personality, work ethic and just overall attitude.
This is all speculation, and I certainly fall on the pro-Yak side of the fence, but I really do believe that a lot of this comes down to the Eakins effect. Certainly, Yakupov has his own responsibility to turn his game around now that he's playing under a legitimate coaching staff, but I think that the period under Eakins was nearly the worst thing that could have happened to his development.
1) Scoring goals is hugely reliant on confidence. I'd recommend James Neal's article in the Players' Tribune which really illuminated the mental aspect of goalscoring for me.
2) Yakupov isn't very emotionally resilient. When he's "on", he's almost an entirely different player than when he's "off", even outside of scoring: he hits and forechecks and makes smart passes when he's playing well, he's tentative, skates around doing nothing, and turns the puck over when he's cold. This aspect of his game falls on him to fix, however...
3) Eakins was perhaps the worst possible coach to address this. We know that he tried to act like an old school coach who got his players to follow him out of a mixture of fear and respect, but his accomplishments and grasp of the game meant that the "respect" part of that quickly flew out the window. Yak went from leading the team in goals as a rookie to being healthy scratched in his 4th (IIRC) game under Eakins, which I think is fair to assume was a blow to his confidence.
4) The biggest factor, in my eyes, is how Yakupov looked last year when playing with Derek Roy. All of a sudden, he was playing the rush well, hitting, even scoring goals again - and he said that this was not only because Roy took him aside to explain specific plays to him, but also established a friendship with Yak. It's kind of ridiculous that Derek freakin' Roy was apparently more effective coach than Eakins was.
I kind of wonder if the Eakins factor also explains how Schultz has turned into a shell of his lockout year self, but even Schultz didn't get the "one strike and you're benched" treatment.
jukon
NHL Point Leader
- Mar 17, 2011
- 3,346
- 1,726
One could argue the same about Nuge.
While were are all disappointed in Yak's inability to put it all together, there is no rush to get rid of him. He is not living up to his draft pedigree but he is still a valuable asset to the team. No need to sell low. If someone is willing to pay a premium because of his pedigree, sure, but otherwise let's hold on. Keep him on a reasonable contract and hope for the best.
Up the Irons
Registered User
yeah, I s'pose. Gotta get past the 1OA, or even 1st round. (not easy for me, admittedly)
Just pretend Yak was a 31st OA, and then it's easier to accept him as a 3rd line, energy guy that can get... IDK.... 10 goals?
Thought this would best go in this thread:
Through 49 Games in his rookie season, Sam Bennett has 13G, 9A, 22P and is -2.
Through Yaks first 48 games, he had 17G, 14A, 31P and was -4.
So much grief has been given to Yak, but he still had a better start than someone CP believes would have been a first overall pick in most years, and someone whom people still regard highly.
Yak is a kid whose confidence in himself was totally drained under Eakins. I'm hoping McLellan can build him back up, because there is a player there, and it is looking like it might take another org to find it. If Letestu is destined to be his center this year, then it is time to cut bait, he will never flourish in a third-line role. Thankfully, I think McLellan knows this and RNH's injury has forced his hand.
I believe Yak's been given about 78 games (48 from 2012, 30 from this year) to properly develop. I personally wouldn't give up on any draft pick after that amount of time, let alone a FOV. People watch him play and see a kid with no hockey IQ, I see a kid who is trying to do too much, trying too hard to play to his billing. Leon Draisaitl had a moment this season, where he was doing the same thing, and Taylor Hall told him on the bench to "just play his game". Leon hasn't looked back. Yak needs someone/something similar to happen to him. I hope it happens here.
Through 49 Games in his rookie season, Sam Bennett has 13G, 9A, 22P and is -2.
Through Yaks first 48 games, he had 17G, 14A, 31P and was -4.
So much grief has been given to Yak, but he still had a better start than someone CP believes would have been a first overall pick in most years, and someone whom people still regard highly.
Yak is a kid whose confidence in himself was totally drained under Eakins. I'm hoping McLellan can build him back up, because there is a player there, and it is looking like it might take another org to find it. If Letestu is destined to be his center this year, then it is time to cut bait, he will never flourish in a third-line role. Thankfully, I think McLellan knows this and RNH's injury has forced his hand.
I believe Yak's been given about 78 games (48 from 2012, 30 from this year) to properly develop. I personally wouldn't give up on any draft pick after that amount of time, let alone a FOV. People watch him play and see a kid with no hockey IQ, I see a kid who is trying to do too much, trying too hard to play to his billing. Leon Draisaitl had a moment this season, where he was doing the same thing, and Taylor Hall told him on the bench to "just play his game". Leon hasn't looked back. Yak needs someone/something similar to happen to him. I hope it happens here.
- Status
