News: Blues do not extend QO to Nail Yakupov

[mouser]

$1.5m sounds high, I'd guess $1m. And I agree he's not signing a 2-way contract.

 

[tylerjohnson2626]

Rick Dhaliwal (Trusted VAN source from News 1130) tweeted this morning say the agent is receiving calls for him today (there are a few) but Canucks haven't called yet.

 

[Gord]

LOL...

I'll tell you "who couldn't". 90% of the league that have stone hands and plodding speed. Yak has elite speed, an elite shot and elite hand/eye. Get him in the right situation and HF boards will then go into the denial phase... "well, no one could have seen this happening".

you've used the word elite in regards to Yak more in one sentence than I've heard in the last 3 years.

sorry. even if he was elite in all those things, it will take more than the "right situation" for him to tear up the league.

Like others have said. he's a nice guy, and I think he does have heart.
he's a player though where anything you say about him is followed by a "but..."

let's say he does find the right situation. I have a hard time believing he could ever be more than a 15-20 goal scorer at the very most.

 

[SirPaste]

LOL...

I'll tell you "who couldn't". 90% of the league that have stone hands and plodding speed. Yak has elite speed, an elite shot and elite hand/eye. Get him in the right situation and HF boards will then go into the denial phase... "well, no one could have seen this happening".

No, Yak has elite speed and that's it. Everything else is below average

 

[gonnaneedsomewine]

Needs to go to a team like NYR, Pitt, Chicago, Minn, maybe even NSH or Carolina.

Team that plays a free flowing speed game offensively, can give him a chance to use his creativity without the restraints of "the system." I think STL was too much of a structured hard and heavy team for him.

 

[sandysan]

LOL...

I'll tell you "who couldn't". 90% of the league that have stone hands and plodding speed. Yak has elite speed, an elite shot and elite hand/eye. Get him in the right situation and HF boards will then go into the denial phase... "well, no one could have seen this happening".

so yakupov has hand that are better than 90% ofthe league ? The pens showed you dont have to have soft mitts to put up points when you are the third wheel with a good/great center and winger duo.

Rememeber all those threads that said " just let him ride mcdavids coat-tails and he will put up points"? Lets ignore ( again) for the moment that he never showed ANYTHING that said he deserved first line minutes, but having an elite shooter with elite speed and elite hand eye who has to be babysat EVERY FREAKING SECOND while he is on the ice to be spoon fed points, is not the asset you seem to be implying. Lots of untalented players would do as well ( and not be black hole defensively) under the same circumstances.

If he has all of these elite skills, its too bad they are in the same vessel as the kids brain which prevents him from ever using them. At all.

Get him in the right situation ?????? where have I heard this before ? oh that's right every year after this rookie season. Good times good times. when he sucks out loud, again, demand that he be given the ice time he can't earn.

at least you didnt go for the daily double and imply that its still somehow all dallas eakins fault. nice example of restraint.

Stick a fork in him, he's done. Not good enough for top 6, can't play bottom six in the nhl.

 

[harrisb]

I'd like to see if in Ottawa Boucher could grind him down to playing a team system and being responsible defensively. If our owner would allow us to bury him in the minors if it doesn't work out. As someone else said, there's the but....

 

[hototogisu]

Needs to go to a team like NYR, Pitt, Chicago, Minn, maybe even NSH or Carolina.

Team that plays a free flowing speed game offensively, can give him a chance to use his creativity without the restraints of "the system." I think STL was too much of a structured hard and heavy team for him.

I wonder if Columbus would give him a shot. Their reclamation project from last year (Gagner) likely priced himself out of their plans. Wonder if they would try to catch lightning in a bottle twice.

 

[n00bxQb]

He scored 17 goals as a rookie, in 48 games.

Eakins ruined the poor kid. I hope he gets another shot.

21% shooting percentage was never going to be sustainable.

 

[Coastal Kev]

No, Yak has elite speed and that's it. Everything else is below average

You may want to watch him before the offense killing Hitch got a hold of him. Take a good long look at his quick hands.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzHaCWGparw

 

[Cardiac Jerks]

Needs to go to a team like NYR, Pitt, Chicago, Minn, maybe even NSH or Carolina.

Team that plays a free flowing speed game offensively, can give him a chance to use his creativity without the restraints of "the system." I think STL was too much of a structured hard and heavy team for him.

Carolina's style of play doesn't fit what you say Yak needs.

 

[RealityBytes]

https://www.nhl.com/blues/news/blues-extend-qualifying-offers-to-5-players/c-290158736

As such, will become an UFA on July 1st (assuming he doesn't sign with Blues before then).

Which teams will go after him in free agency?

Montreal

 

[BruinLVGA]

LOL...

I'll tell you "who couldn't". 90% of the league that have stone hands and plodding speed. Yak has elite speed, an elite shot and elite hand/eye. Get him in the right situation and HF boards will then go into the denial phase... "well, no one could have seen this happening".

He has five seasons under his belt. Two teams. Averaging over 14 minutes a game. The feeling is that if he had ELITE (<- keyword) speed/shot/hand-eye coordination, by now he should have more than a high of 33 points in his career.

This is not a case of hfboards not seeing something that you see, but also two teams in the NHL. Yakupov is one hell of a long shot. But if he accepts minimum or close to minimum $$$, I think it would be worth a shot, for one year.

 

[BruinLVGA]

Daigle, although he didn't live up to draft hype, was still a .5ppg NHL'er. I even forget that on those early Wild teams he was their leading scorer.

Yakupov wishes he could be a 30-40 point guy in this league

True. He had three 50+ points seasons. Yakupov would jump up and down in joy if he could do that.

 

[TeamRenzo]

True. He had three 50+ points seasons. Yakupov would jump up and down in joy if he could do that.

Different NHL back then. One of the seasons Daigle had 50+ pts Gretzky led the NHL with 130, another season Lemieux led with 122.

Daigle was meant to be a generational player that would put the Sens on his back and pull them from the basement. Unfair expectations however the cheques were always chased.

 

[Fugazy]

Montreal

The answer is always Montreal

 

[BleedBlue14]

I'd like to see if in Ottawa Boucher could grind him down to playing a team system and being responsible defensively. If our owner would allow us to bury him in the minors if it doesn't work out. As someone else said, there's the but....

We tried that in STL. Safe to say it didn't work to well. If we can get him two-way I'd love to keep him and give him more time within the system just to see. But don't expect him to jump right in and learn something especially if you are a playoff team who can't sit around and wait for him to play out his learning curve.

 

[gonnaneedsomewine]

Carolina's style of play doesn't fit what you say Yak needs.

Agree, I threw them in there because of their dire need for some top 6 skill and scoring. Should've made that distinction in my post.

I wonder if Columbus would give him a shot. Their reclamation project from last year (Gagner) likely priced himself out of their plans. Wonder if they would try to catch lightning in a bottle twice.

It's an interesting idea. I never would've thought Torts would be able to deal with finesse guys like Gagner and now a guy like Panarin that they brought in and Kovalchuk who they're supposedly going after. Seems counter to everything he preaches - defense, structure, physicality, shot blocking, intensity, work ethic, etc.

But as you said it worked with Gagner, maybe lightning strikes twice. Might be worth a shot for them.

 

[phxblue]

My take after watching him last season with my Blues.

Hitch put him in positions where he was mostly with our grinders, had no PP time and very little chance to succeed at what he does best.

If a team wants to utilize his strengths, and not attempt to correct his weaknesses, but instead, put him in a place to use his strengths, he could potentially have a breakout season.

The problem is, which NHL team wants to put a guy like Yakupov on their top line and on their powerplay and give him a long enough trial there, and keep him there even when he makes mistakes, until he gets rolling and feels comfortable?

None that I can think of. Certainly not a playoff team.

He would fit best for a team like Vegas, playing on a scoring line with Shipachyov.

But where he really should be playing is a place he doesnt want to play. The AHL.

On a top line, with top minutes, playing on the top PP unit, in a scoring role. Buildup confidence, show he can be a goal scorer, consistently for several months.

If that happens, I think he could come back to the NHL and get a shot in a scoring role, and have the confidence to make it happen.

Without that happening, I think some team will give him a shot, put him in a similar role to what the Blues tried with him last year, and be disappointed when he fails.

 

[CornKicker]

i have always liked yakupov and hope he finds a spot that works for him. he was always a good dude.

 

[koth]

He would look good in a Leafs uniform on a line with Matthews.

 

[bluetuned]

You may want to watch him before the offense killing Hitch got a hold of him. Take a good long look at his quick hands.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzHaCWGparw

Lol did you even watch this video?

Literally one goal on there shows above average puck-handling. The one at around 6:30 against Anaheim.

Every other goal is a shot from around the hash marks. Most of them are either rebounds into wide open nets or plays where he gets feeds from others players like Hall or Perron who were doing the dirty work.

The commentary is also fun, because there are multiple instances of the announcers talking about how he was a healthy scratch the game before, or discussing his weaknesses in other areas of the game, etc.

 

[Davegarri]

I'll take a chance on him in NJ, we could use another skilled RWer.

 

[bluetuned]

But where he really should be playing is a place he doesnt want to play. The AHL.

On a top line, with top minutes, playing on the top PP unit, in a scoring role. Buildup confidence, show he can be a goal scorer, consistently for several months.

If that happens, I think he could come back to the NHL and get a shot in a scoring role, and have the confidence to make it happen.

Without that happening, I think some team will give him a shot, put him in a similar role to what the Blues tried with him last year, and be disappointed when he fails.

I think this is the case. Why Edmonton didn't send him to the minors when he struggled under Eakins is beyond me. He clearly needed it. It would have been nice if the Blues could have sent him to the Wolves and given him prime playing time and extensive instruction from Berube, but he probably wouldn't have cleared waivers had they tried.

 

[sandysan]

I'll take a chance on him in NJ, we could use another skilled RWer.

then I ask, not rhetorically, why do you want Yakupov ?