Player Discussion Yak Talk Part V: So Very Tired

[Draiskull]

McDavid was interviewed by Reid Wilkins on Oilers Now and he was asked what it means to be the Captain. The first thing he spoke about was about giving everyone a voice in the room so that nobody feels left out. Something to that effect. Was this a reference to the long rumoured rift between Yak and other teammates(Hall)?

reading too much into it i say... McDavid probably just meant that he wouldnt be the only one talking the dressing room as the captain and will allow everyone to speak their mind. Hall was never the captain so its got nothing to do with Yak not getting to speak.

 

[Aerchon]

Kruger found a way.
Eakins and rest tried to paint the whole team with one brush getting all to play the same system.

Even now Eberle and Lucic expect to cycle the puck with McDavid.. That is not how he scores his points. He needs to get the puck in the neutral zone with speed to be most effective.

McDavid gets greasy goals as well as pretty ones. One of his strengths is his versatility/IQ/willingness to go to the net.

I honestly do not see McDavid getting more than 85 points this year until he significantly changes how he plays the game. He needs to be more dangerous off the cycle. He needs his shot to be respected more. He needs to work more on deflections, although he is good at that already.

To fully dominate in the NHL the way he wants to he needs to use his linemates a tiny bit less and work on various ways to score himself. Crosby had to make this adjustment and did. As much as he can deliver taps ins for team mates and put a goalie inside out he needs a bit more versatility before he will be a "superstar" in terms of ppg/gpg and game management/winning.

 

[GMofOilers]

McDavid was interviewed by Reid Wilkins on Oilers Now and he was asked what it means to be the Captain. The first thing he spoke about was about giving everyone a voice in the room so that nobody feels left out. Something to that effect. Was this a reference to the long rumoured rift between Yak and other teammates(Hall)?

TM's interview was really good.

Came out and said there is no really small groups of people on this team. Players take turns and go do different things with different playyers on othe road. There isnt just small groups that do things together.

The Yak and Hall thing is totally made up by fans.

 

[Speed220DChalavan]

reading too much into it i say... McDavid probably just meant that he wouldnt be the only one talking the dressing room as the captain and will allow everyone to speak their mind. Hall was never the captain so its got nothing to do with Yak not getting to speak.

No doubt.

You always wonder where rumours/speculation gets started, and one has to look no further than message boards.

Here's what McDavid has on record said about Hall

http://edmontonjournal.com/sports/hockey/nhl/edmonton-oilers/connor-mcdavid-upset-to-see-hall-leave

McDavid, who lived in Hall’s house last season and lost both of his roommates in a span 36 hours when the Oilers failed to qualify Luke Gazdic on Monday, says the former first overall pick was a major influence in his rookie season. Not many people can understand what it’s like to be in McDavid’s situation — rookie superstar/saviour in hockey crazy Edmonton — but Hall was there to help him on and off the ice.

He was hoping he and Hall would be Oilers together for a long time, but Wednesday’s news put a sudden stop to those dreams.

“I want to express thanks for all that he’s done for me because he’s done so much. I’ll never really know how I can repay him, or if I’ll ever be able to, for what he’s done for me this year.

“He’s a guy who took me under his wing right away. It’s hard to explin how much that means to me.â€

 

[Faelko]

Kruger found a way.
Eakins and rest tried to paint the whole team with one brush getting all to play the same system.

Even now Eberle and Lucic expect to cycle the puck with McDavid.. That is not how he scores his points. He needs to get the puck in the neutral zone with speed to be most effective.

No coach is going to play a player they don't trust for the simple fact they are under pressure to win now. That may be unfair in some instances but it's the way she goes.

 

[Draiskull]

McDavid gets greasy goals as well as pretty ones. One of his strengths is his versatility/IQ/willingness to go to the net.

I honestly do not see McDavid getting more than 85 points this year until he significantly changes how he plays the game. He needs to be more dangerous off the cycle. He needs his shot to be respected more. He needs to work more on deflections, although he is good at that already.

To fully dominate in the NHL the way he wants to he needs to use his linemates a tiny bit less and work on various ways to score himself. Crosby had to make this adjustment and did. As much as he can deliver taps ins for team mates and put a goalie inside out he needs a bit more versatility before he will be a "superstar" in terms of ppg/gpg and game management/winning.

Or his line changes the way it plays the game and play to McDavid's strength.
Unlike Yakupov McDavid is smart and versatile enough to adjust but that doesnt mean he should have to change his game drastically to get in line with a broad paint brush system. Why not do more of what is working for you instead of changing your game to fit in with the rest. What is the guarantee that McDavid will score more than 85pts once he starts carrying the puck in and starts cycling instead of what he has been doing right now.

Yak being not as smart seems to have 3 things going in his mind at the same time.
No way he whiffs like last game during his rookie season.. The guy was batting pucks in mid air back then with his eyes closed. The first preseason game vs Flames he missed a wide open net on the PP as well.

 

[Draiskull]

TM's interview was really good.

Came out and said there is no really small groups of people on this team. Players take turns and go do different things with different playyers on othe road. There isnt just small groups that do things together.

The Yak and Hall thing is totally made up by fans.

Yak said himself in interviews that he doesnt get to hang around with McDavid because he has made friends with others on the team.

No coach is going to play a player they don't trust for the simple fact they are under pressure to win now. That may be unfair in some instances but it's the way she goes.

Mclellan played Yak last night even late in the game with 1 goal lead.. Yakupov isnt clueless defensively.. he just seems confused at times. He was the last one back and covered his man well defensively last year. Maybe keep it that simple for him defensively and let him "buzz" around offensively. Wherever he ends up this year I hope the coach is smart enough to allow that for him.

 

[Aerchon]

Or his line changes the way it plays the game and play to McDavid's strength.
Unlike Yakupov McDavid is smart and versatile enough to adjust but that doesnt mean he should have to change his game drastically to get in line with a broad paint brush system. Why not do more of what is working for you instead of changing your game to fit in with the rest. What is the guarantee that McDavid will score more than 85pts once he starts carrying the puck in and starts cycling instead of what he has been doing right now.

Yak being not as smart seems to have 3 things going in his mind at the same time.
No way he whiffs like last game during his rookie season.. The guy was batting pucks in mid air back then with his eyes closed. The first preseason game vs Flames he missed a wide open net on the PP as well.

Goalies have already keyed in on his most common moves and are now stopping him consistently on the deek. Feeding him outlet passes for breakaways and then having the goalie stop every stickside move is not using much hockey sense. Goalies are cheating low on him already in general.

He needs to follow the Crosby model and be more versatile or everyone (especially himself) is going to be disappointed in his production.

Not to mention always attempting to blow by opponents is significantly riskier for ones health than shooting through them if the results are the same or better.

 

[Draiskull]

Goalies have already keyed in on his most common moves and are now stopping him consistently on the deek. Feeding him outlet passes for breakaways and then having the goalie stop every stickside move is not using much hockey sense. Goalies are cheating low on him already in general.

He needs to follow the Crosby model and be more versatile or everyone (especially himself) is going to be disappointed in his production.

Not to mention always attempting to blow by opponents is significantly riskier for ones health than shooting through them if the results are the same or better.

no point discussing further in Yakupov thread but I am more than glad with McD getting a couple breakaways per game and him blowing by defenders instead of cycling the puck along the boards like a grinder.

Yakupov needs to forget all the "versatility" that was poured into his head and get back to what worked for him when he was a teenager. He needs to shoot a lot more, engage with fans and feed off that energy, keep things simple and once again shoot more. There is no reason for him to not load up for a couple slappers every PP especially if McLellan has him playing the point.

 

[doulos]

no point discussing further in Yakupov thread but I am more than glad with McD getting a couple breakaways per game and him blowing by defenders instead of cycling the puck along the boards like a grinder.

Yakupov needs to forget all the "versatility" that was poured into his head and get back to what worked for him when he was a teenager. He needs to shoot a lot more, engage with fans and feed off that energy, keep things simple and once again shoot more. There is no reason for him to not load up for a couple slappers every PP especially if McLellan has him playing the point.

I think that's what Yakupov him so great with McDavid. His game become extremely simple. Get puck to McDavid, find an open spot, watch McDavid work magic, cheer. That was it.

 

[guymez]

no point discussing further in Yakupov thread but I am more than glad with McD getting a couple breakaways per game and him blowing by defenders instead of cycling the puck along the boards like a grinder.

Yakupov needs to forget all the "versatility" that was poured into his head and get back to what worked for him when he was a teenager. He needs to shoot a lot more, engage with fans and feed off that energy, keep things simple and once again shoot more. There is no reason for him to not load up for a couple slappers every PP especially if McLellan has him playing the point.

Thats exactly the problem with Yakupovs game. I heard an interview yesterday (cant remember who it was) and the former player said that Yak hasn't been able to unlearn the bad habits from his time in the CHL....and he hasn't had enough repetition (at a young age) in developing a smarter game without the puck.
His coaches back then essentially contributed to Yaks bad habits because they let him get away with just being an offensive player.

Now we watch a player that struggles putting the puck in the net (at this level) and is absolutely clueless when he doesn't have the puck. He is left trying to learn how to play properly at the NHL level.
That is a recipe for failure.

His CHL time did him absolutely no favors IMO.

 

[Digger12]

Thats exactly the problem with Yakupovs game. I heard an interview yesterday (cant remember who it was) and the former player said that Yak hasn't been able to unlearn the bad habits from his time in the CHL....and he hasn't had enough repetition (at a young age) in developing a smarter game without the puck.
His coaches back then essentially contributed to Yaks bad habits because they let him get away with just being an offensive player.

Now we watch a player that struggles putting the puck in the net (at this level) and is absolutely clueless when he doesn't have the puck. He is left trying to learn how to play properly at the NHL level.
That is a recipe for failure.

His CHL time did him absolutely no favors IMO.

This.

In addition to that, I think he's also had the added complication of having a lot of different cooks in his kitchen so to speak, I bet he's had a lot of voices in his ear throughout his life telling him he could be the next Kovalchuk or Ovechkin, he just needs to "do his thing" and let the groundlings worry about backchecking.

Then he gets to this level, and 4 years later he's still playing like he can't get out of his own way.

When Yak does leave, I'm certainly not going to be cheering about it. The overall situation is just sad as hell.

 

[Halibut]

This.

In addition to that, I think he's also had the added complication of having a lot of different cooks in his kitchen so to speak, I bet he's had a lot of voices in his ear throughout his life telling him he could be the next Kovalchuk or Ovechkin, he just needs to "do his thing" and let the groundlings worry about backchecking.

Then he gets to this level, and 4 years later he's still playing like he can't get out of his own way.

When Yak does leave, I'm certainly not going to be cheering about it. The overall situation is just sad as hell.

Exactly. I'm not a Yak hater, I've cheered for him here since he started, but it's pretty clear he's done in Edmonton and needs a new starter somewhere else. There's no fixing the relationship, one way or another he's gone next year at the latest. The Oilers have completely failed in developing him.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

This.

In addition to that, I think he's also had the added complication of having a lot of different cooks in his kitchen so to speak, I bet he's had a lot of voices in his ear throughout his life telling him he could be the next Kovalchuk or Ovechkin, he just needs to "do his thing" and let the groundlings worry about backchecking.

Then he gets to this level, and 4 years later he's still playing like he can't get out of his own way.

When Yak does leave, I'm certainly not going to be cheering about it. The overall situation is just sad as hell.

This is the unfortunate truth.

 

[guymez]

This.

In addition to that, I think he's also had the added complication of having a lot of different cooks in his kitchen so to speak, I bet he's had a lot of voices in his ear throughout his life telling him he could be the next Kovalchuk or Ovechkin, he just needs to "do his thing" and let the groundlings worry about backchecking.

Then he gets to this level, and 4 years later he's still playing like he can't get out of his own way.

When Yak does leave, I'm certainly not going to be cheering about it. The overall situation is just sad as hell.

For sure...the turnstile coaching approach by the Oilers quite likely hurt Yak more than some other players.
The thing is ...Yak shouldn't be learning how to play without the puck at this point in time. That should have been part of the curriculum 5 years ago.

Its been stated many times...the NHL is not a development League. Thats primarily why I think that Yak's time in the NHL is coming to an end.

Sad truly is the best way to describe this.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

I honestly do not see McDavid getting more than 85 points this year until he significantly changes how he plays the game.

You do realise he was pro-rated to get 87 points last season right?


So in your mind, 19 year old generational players don't improve on their 18 year old seasons?

 

[joestevens29]

You do realise he was pro-rated to get 87 points last season right?


So in your mind, 19 year old generational players don't improve on their 18 year old seasons?

If he played a full year would he have had that total or would he have burned out in his first pro year?

 

[Draiskull]

For sure...the turnstile coaching approach by the Oilers quite likely hurt Yak more than some other players.
The thing is ...Yak shouldn't be learning how to play without the puck at this point in time. That should have been part of the curriculum 5 years ago.

Its been stated many times...the NHL is not a development League. Thats primarily why I think that Yak's time in the NHL is coming to an end.

Sad truly is the best way to describe this.

I disagree... His time with Edmonton is done but he still has a chance to turn things around and put up some major points if used differently. Yak knows the basics of playing the game away from the puck .. If he is used in an offensive role with just focusing on the point man defensively he can still be a very useful player. Last preseason game he did just that.. Drai was the defensive forward on that line allowing Yakupov to buzz around in the offensive end. Vegas could be a great destination for him especially if Ralph coaches that team.

You do realise he was pro-rated to get 87 points last season right?


So in your mind, 19 year old generational players don't improve on their 18 year old seasons?

The argument was that goalies and Dmen have figured out the moves McDavid makes and would play him differently thus reducing his point total slightly from his rookie season. McDavid might struggle to put up points this year but he is smart enough to adjust his game and find a way to rebound quickly.

 

[Ninety7]

Honest question here:

Is he really that bad away from the puck anymore?

IMO, While not being a defensive stud, he certainly is not a major liability anymore like he used to be. I see him back checking, covering his man on the point, engaged in board battles, etc.

But yeah regardless, his time in Edmonton is done, and sad is the best way to describe it.

 

[Draiskull]

Honest question here:

Is he really that bad away from the puck anymore?

IMO, While not being a defensive stud, he certainly is not a major liability anymore like he used to be. I see him back checking, covering his man on the point, engaged in board battles, etc.

But yeah regardless, his time in Edmonton is done, and sad is the best way to describe it.

Coaches would know a lot more than us fans..
To many here he is a mentally challenged player chasing bees on ice and are willing to ignore anything positive he does. To some he is this explosive player who is always buzzing around on ice and are willing to ignore his lack of production and his +/- stats.

He has missed 2 wide open nets this preseason so to me he clearly has issues in his head to sort out. Would rather see someone like Pitlick play on the team if Yak is going to be whiffing away goals and wins. Oilers just cant afford a confused soul on the team.

 

[Halibut]

Honest question here:

Is he really that bad away from the puck anymore?

IMO, While not being a defensive stud, he certainly is not a major liability anymore like he used to be. I see him back checking, covering his man on the point, engaged in board battles, etc.

But yeah regardless, his time in Edmonton is done, and sad is the best way to describe it.

From watching him Tuesday I'd say defensively he's not bad but he doesnt get himself into good spots in the offensive zone, not in places where the puck is likely to go or where he can be open for his teamates to feed if they have the puck. It looked like he always wanted to swoop in and take the puck not a pass but that's just one game though.

 

[Aerchon]

You do realise he was pro-rated to get 87 points last season right?


So in your mind, 19 year old generational players don't improve on their 18 year old seasons?

I think McDavid plays the game the right way and will almost certainly improve as a 200 foot guy. Just don't see him getting anything over 85 over a full season unless he learns to change things up more than he has shown even in the WC/Preseason.

 

[doulos]

I think McDavid plays the game the right way and will almost certainly improve as a 200 foot guy. Just don't see him getting anything over 85 over a full season unless he learns to change things up more than he has shown even in the WC/Preseason.

He'll be a 100 point player. Not concerned at all.

 

[Gone]

So Yak may be off to Chicago, hmmm ... guaranteed we lose that trade and Yak turns into the next Panarin. Chicago doesn't lose trades, the Oilers don't win them.

 

[doulos]

So Yak may be off to Chicago, hmmm ... guaranteed we lose that trade and Yak turns into the next Panarin. Chicago doesn't lose trades, the Oilers don't win them.

Yeah, Maroon trade was such a bad trade.