Training Camp Thread | Warning Post #456 | Oilers Trim Roster Post #647

[ThePhoenixx]

Yakupov will be gone by summer. The team has wanted a 1 shot scorer type for years, finally drafted one and have completely wasted the asset. Once he's traded all you'll hear about is how the team needs to find a sniper for all their playmaking centers. He hasn't shown enough to be ahead of Eberle on the depth chart but it's a slap in the face to have him behind Purcell in the depth chart. Purcell is a soon to be UFA that provides absolutely nothing but secondary assists. It's still only preseason but if Yakupov's most common linemates next year are Lander and Korpikowski then the team needs to let him go.

Agreed.

 

[Aerchon]

Yakupov will be gone by summer. The team has wanted a 1 shot scorer type for years, finally drafted one and have completely wasted the asset. Once he's traded all you'll hear about is how the team needs to find a sniper for all their playmaking centers. He hasn't shown enough to be ahead of Eberle on the depth chart but it's a slap in the face to have him behind Purcell in the depth chart. Purcell is a soon to be UFA that provides absolutely nothing but secondary assists. It's still only preseason but if Yakupov's most common linemates next year are Lander and Korpikowski then the team needs to let him go.

These kinds of over the top proclamations about some kind of conspiracy to derail Yaks success are getting ridiculous.

Its game one of preseason, lots of time before we start breaking out pitch forks. McLellan is obviously not Eakins and Chiarelli is obviously not Mac T. There is no "down with Yak" agenda.

McLellan seems to be digging guys like Lander and Leon who are Euro's. Heck, he even has legitimately gone to bat for Nikita.

He strikes me as a guy who holds no prejudice and only has what is best for the team in mind. He played Yak on top line last night at the first opportunity...

We still need depth scoring in the bottom 6 and we are chalked full of elite talented forwards. Hall played on the third line last year and may well again this year if it means winning.

Too early and too strange how passionate people are to get Yak into the top 6 no matter how much sense it actually makes for the team.

 

[doulos]

"Draisaitl is awesome, so glad we have him."

"Lander has looked great this year and is doing everything well."

"Yakupov has been awesome but they are sticking him with plugs like Draisaitl and Lander - what a waste."

Something doesn't add up here folks. At least keep your *****ing logically cohesive if not correct.

 

[GMofOilers]

I actually would love to see McDavid with Poliout and Eberle. I think that would be the best line chemistry.

 

[bucks_oil]

It seems like such a waste to keep a player of Draisaitl's talents there long term though. Either we're converting him to wing or one of him and RNH are going in the next few years.

I'm not so sure... don't we have the luxury of having three elite level pairs, so that everyone on the top three lines gets someone to play with? And then we have 2 of 3 decent plugs (Pouliot, Lander) sorta settled... if we can just find one more "play doesn't die" winger, we'd be set.

I actually liked the idea of Yak with McDavid, so I'd try something like:

Lander McDavid Yak
Pouliot RNH Ebs
Hall Drai XXX (Purcell? doesn't seem to fit... XXXX in trade?)

Then give all three lines equal time.

 

[Digger12]

I actually would love to see McDavid with Poliout and Eberle. I think that would be the best line chemistry.

I'm sure McDavid would do well with them, but I see no reason at all to mess with the RNH/Eberle/Pouliot line. It looked great last night, and looked very strong in the latter half of last year.

No need to over-complicate things, just keep them together, put McDavid with Hall and profit. Yak and Draisaitl can be plugged in on the wings as needed.

 

[McDeathbyCheerios*]

I'm sure McDavid would do well with them, but I see no reason at all to mess with the RNH/Eberle/Pouliot line. It looked great last night, and looked very strong in the latter half of last year.

No need to over-complicate things, just keep them together, put McDavid with Hall and profit. Yak and Draisaitl can be plugged in on the wings as needed.

Agreed. For some reason RNH has always looked better away from Hall too. I think it's something to do with playstyles imo.

 

[Philly85*]

I actually would love to see McDavid with Poliout and Eberle. I think that would be the best line chemistry.

rare time I actually agree with you. I completely agree.

Gets two veterans on his wings, good amount of hockey smarts and a blend of speed, finishing ability and skill. Personally I like the idea of a Pouliot-McD-Eberle line much more than having him with Hall, because he will automatically be facing team's best players or top checking line and D men.

I've wanted to see Hall-RNH-Yak and Pouliot-McD-Eberle all TC and pre-season. It's year 4 for Yak, time to give him a push with the top 6, through rain or shine (i.e with Hall and RNH).

 

[McDeathbyCheerios*]

rare time I actually agree with you. I completely agree.

Gets two veterans on his wings, good amount of hockey smarts and a blend of speed, finishing ability and skill. Personally I like the idea of a Pouliot-McD-Eberle line much more than having him with Hall, because he will automatically be facing team's best players or top checking line and D men.

I've wanted to see Hall-RNH-Yak and Pouliot-McD-Eberle all TC and pre-season. It's year 4 for Yak, time to give him a push with the top 6, through rain or shine.

I hate that line of thinking.

Just put Yak in the top 6 no matter how bad he is doing its time to sink or swim.

No that's the line of thinking that keeps us as a bottom feeder. You out players in the best spot for team success. Yak should only be there if he earns it.. Which I want him to. Not just because he should by now

 

[workedforme]

Hall doesn't need a playmaker on his line. He wants to have the puck all the time. Personally I think something like this is the way to go:

Pouliot-Nuge-Ebs- We know this works
Hall- Lander-Purcell(please get someone better here)
Drai-Mcdavid-Yak-easy matchups only

To me if we want 3 scoring lines Hall needs to be given his own line, put the other talent together. If we can swap Drai and Pouliot to get some veteran presence on that third line I'm for it, but I don't won't fix what isn't broken, and we know that top line works.

 

[GMofOilers]

rare time I actually agree with you. I completely agree.

Gets two veterans on his wings, good amount of hockey smarts and a blend of speed, finishing ability and skill. Personally I like the idea of a Pouliot-McD-Eberle line much more than having him with Hall, because he will automatically be facing team's best players or top checking line and D men.

I've wanted to see Hall-RNH-Yak and Pouliot-McD-Eberle all TC and pre-season. It's year 4 for Yak, time to give him a push with the top 6, through rain or shine.

Yup I agree with you also. I would like to see what Yak can do, if he can do it great if not well bad luck for us.

 

[McDeathbyCheerios*]

Yup I agree with you also. I would like to see what Yak can do, if he can do it great if not well bad luck for us.

If he can't do it he goes to the third line and does his job.

 

[Aceboogie]

Lander-RNH-Eberle
Hall-McDavid-Yak
Pouliot-LD-Purcell

This to me is the only combination of lines that represents 3 balanced lines (well sorta) with a mix of vet and skill for all players

Ill get hosed for breaking up the 1st line, but Lander plays a similar game to Pouliot, albeit a bit slower

Yak gets support with Hall and McDavid.

LD gets some vet help and an upgrade in Pouliot

Ill admit, its hard to make a perfect set of lines

 

[Aceboogie]

Although if there was ever a year for Yak to break out and show he can carry a line, its this year

then you can run Purcell-Lander-Yak comfortably. And Id even try Slepyshev in Purcells spot. Maybe after game 20 he can replace him

 

[Arctic Fox]

Although if there was ever a year for Yak to break out and show he can carry a line, its this year

then you can run Purcell-Lander-Yak comfortably. And Id even try Slepyshev in Purcells spot. Maybe after game 20 he can replace him

Purcell-Lander-Yak
Ference-Nikitin

And if Yak can't do it trade the bust.

 

[McJeety McJeet]

"Draisaitl is awesome, so glad we have him."

"Lander has looked great this year and is doing everything well."

"Yakupov has been awesome but they are sticking him with plugs like Draisaitl and Lander - what a waste."

Something doesn't add up here folks. At least keep your *****ing logically cohesive if not correct.

Yep. Both are very good hockey players and if it works out this line would be getting easy minutes. Also I don't think they are trading Yak anytime soon. He's easy to sign, has a good attitude (outside of that Eakins thing and he was on to something well before MacT was), and wants to be here. If they can convince him that less is more and remove some of the scatter-brain play he'll be set.

 

[Aceboogie]

Purcell-Lander-Yak
Ference-Nikitin

And if Yak can't do it trade the bust.

That D unit will kill that line. Zero puck moving skills

Give them Reinhart-Schultz and that whole unit gets easy minutes

 

[Replacement*]

Can we stop *****ing and moaning about poor Yak.

Everyone right now has a clean slate under McLellan. If he doesn't end up getting moved up the line up then there is a good reason for it.

But no if that happens we will cry and say if only Yak had better players he would be an all star and hr only isn't getting moved up cause he is Russian.

Fact of the matter is now it's the time to prove your worth Yak, I hope he does but right now the only person that can hold him back is himself.

I dunno. Again Yak was one of the best Oiler forwards the last couple months of last season. He easily looked topsix at the time.

In contrast we got a guy like Purcell who has done absolutely nothing his whole time here and who continues to be just a garbage hockey player. He immediately gifted the plum McDavid/Hall linemate position because of something that happened years ago in Tampa when two of the best producers in the NHL managed to drag him around for a season.

This notion that promotion/demotion is earned on this team and strictly up to the players is still not entirely clear.

Yak was the best Oilers forward last night and we'll see what happens. My take is he'll still be playing outside of topsix a lot while a pretender like Purcell is gifted a plum position.

 

[Replacement*]

Yep. Both are very good hockey players and if it works out this line would be getting easy minutes. Also I don't think they are trading Yak anytime soon. He's easy to sign, has a good attitude (outside of that Eakins thing and he was on to something well before MacT was), and wants to be here. If they can convince him that less is more and remove some of the scatter-brain play he'll be set.

Until the goal which I didn't see thanks to a ****** oilers feed in the 3rd I didn't think Lander did much of anything offensively. Drai and Yak looked good, not Lander. But yak looked like he was doing most on that line and from reports he did very well in his minutes with Hall and McDavid while Purcell typically did nothing all game. oh, he got injured, yay oilers.

 

[Replacement*]

Purcell-Lander-Yak
Ference-Nikitin

And if Yak can't do it trade the bust.

I'm glad this is a sarcastic post but not far they type of thing the Oilers have done with yak.
Really I would be amazed if we don't see yak with Korpi as well.

 

[Arpeggio]

I thought Lander looked great. He looks bigger and faster than he used to be, and way more confident about making plays with the puck. That shot was ridiculous.

I'm pretty pumped for Draisaitl and Lander, they both look like they might take a big step this year.

 

[McDeathbyCheerios*]

I dunno. Again Yak was one of the best Oiler forwards the last couple months of last season. He easily looked topsix at the time.

In contrast we got a guy like Purcell who has done absolutely nothing his whole time here and who continues to be just a garbage hockey player. He immediately gifted the plum McDavid/Hall linemate position because of something that happened years ago in Tampa when two of the best producers in the NHL managed to drag him around for a season.

This notion that promotion/demotion is earned on this team and strictly up to the players is still not entirely clear.

Yak was the best Oilers forward last night and we'll see what happens. My take is he'll still be playing outside of topsix a lot while a pretender like Purcell is gifted a plum position.

Purcell and Yak were pretty identical last year statistically. Purcell has been very good in the past and is a vet so McLellan started him out with McDavid. It's a logical start, give a rookie a vet winger and see how it goes.

The game isn't going good and the line isn't gelling. So what does McLellan do? He moves the player that was having the best game so far to that line in Draisaitl. Hall goes does, Yak moves up and Yak starts to perform.

Like you love to spew a lot here, McLellan doesn't really know these guys. He can look back at stats and see how they played in past years. Last year was a bad year for Purcell but not the norm for him. As a new guy coming in trying a vet in a contraxt year with McDavid is a no brainer to try as he has a lot to play for.

He was also very intrigued in how Lander, Drai and Yak could play together. The 2 former are defensively sound, Drai is a playmaker and Yak is a sniper, a very good combination that could do well.

So he tried it.

 

[McDeathbyCheerios*]

Until the goal which I didn't see thanks to a ****** oilers feed in the 3rd I didn't think Lander did much of anything offensively. Drai and Yak looked good, not Lander. But yak looked like he was doing most on that line and from reports he did very well in his minutes with Hall and McDavid while Purcell typically did nothing all game. oh, he got injured, yay oilers.

Yak didn't play with Hall and McDavid. Draisaitl did. Yak only played with McDavid after Hall went down.

 

[Stud Muffin]

Yak didn't play with Hall and McDavid. Draisaitl did. Yak only played with McDavid after Hall went down.

Why are you always out to get Yak?

 

[McDeathbyCheerios*]

Why are you always out to get Yak?

How is that post at all out to get Yak. I was correcting an inaccuracy.

It's like someone calling Yak black, me saying no he is white and someone saying "Why are you so against Yak"