Nail Yakupov Thread: Part 2

[Senor Catface]

So are the Oilers, may as well try ones that have some hope of scoring.

No point talking about Yakupov then.

 

[Oscar Acosta]

No point talking about Yakupov then.

Think he would score less than anyone outside McDavid, Drai and Nuge? Seriously. He would instantly be the biggest scoring threat on the wings and that’s not to praise him as much as a reflection of what a mess this team is in.

 

[lakai17]

Rob Schremp.

Not in front of Bryan

 

[RandomGuy79]

I still don't understand people desperately wanting back former players. Especially ones who can't even make the roster of any other NHL team.

 

[Senor Catface]

Think he would score less than anyone outside McDavid, Drai and Nuge? Seriously. He would instantly be the biggest scoring threat on the wings and that’s not to praise him as much as a reflection of what a mess this team is in.

He's just not good at the NHL level. He scored 9 goals with Colorado. 3 goals in St. Louis. 8 goals his last year here.

There are other options. No reason to bring back a mentally delicate guy (likely, in part, due to this team) who can't score at the NHL level.

 

[lakai17]

I still don't understand people desperately wanting back former players. Especially ones who can't even make the roster of any other NHL team.

What are you trying to say about our ahl defence depth and ahl 3rd/4th line depth?

 

[lakai17]

Hartikainen was not the worst.

Right now 44 points 58 khl games.

Joensuu was fairly bad, although making a career in the KHL as well. Still bad.

 

[iCanada]

Before everyone gets to excited about Yakupov's goal scoring in the KHL, he's also 4 goals behind Nigel Dawes...

I mean, hell, bring in Mr Dawes too... Can't be worse than some of the cast here.

 

[Spawn]

Almost Certainly if Yak wants to he'll be back in the NHL. With some maturity probably a different look 2nd time around. Even his time in Colorado was weirdly compelling. he could put the puck in the net when used with talent but he'd be buried down the lineup so much or just not being dressed that he lost confidence again.

It seems like few clubs know how to deal with project players. Some coach would find usable ingredients in Yakupov even if you have to tell him exactly what to do in rote fashion like a playbook for him.

This is a more ready to unpack scorer than Pulju any day of the week and scoring goals is always going to be important. At worst this is a guy you give limited minutes to and he can put up 15-20 goals. For many teams they need that. We could use it.

Being able to score was not really Yakupovs problem, GA was.

The NHL is exhibiting more of a stubborn insular look if no team ever takes him back.

Like others I even wonder if in some way this player was blacklisted after beating Canada in World Juniors and his comments. I remember he was savagely attacked for it, when really it just seemed like enthusiasm and playful banter. I've rarely seen a player get more negative press, even for a celly, so many scribes that took shots at him or even his own club.

I'll never forget Yaks first prospects camp in Sherwood Park and him running miles around everybody else on the ice and scoring 3 or 4 goals in a scrimmage. The whole crowd was wowed and loving it. Hundreds were lining up for autographs and Yak was obliging. We leave and theres Terry Jones outside, having a smoke, pissed off, and Terry Jones always hated Nail Yakupov. From the start. Even that day he couldn't stand anybody was liking Yak.

Regardless of how much Yak contributed to it when all was falling apart he sure was singled out a lot. If he hailed from Ontario would the treatment have ever been as negative?

Worst case he hits 15-20 goals?

He hit those totals once in a 6 year NHL career, in his rookie year.

Worst case with Yakupov is a player you give limited minutes to, who doesn't piss a drop offensively, and just kills you defensively. And because of who he is and where he was drafted ends up a distraction.

He flamed out of 3 consecutive organizations before losing his job in the NHL. He's not an NHL player. Doesn't have any of the requisite tools to succeed in this league. Doesn't shoot the puck well enough, skate well enough, pass the puck well enough, handle the puck well enough and certainly doesn't think the game well enough.

 

[The Nuge]

Worst case he hits 15-20 goals?

He hit those totals once in a 6 year NHL career, in his rookie year.

Worst case with Yakupov is a player you give limited minutes to, who doesn't piss a drop offensively, and just kills you defensively. And because of who he is and where he was drafted ends up a distraction.

He flamed out of 3 consecutive organizations before losing his job in the NHL. He's not an NHL player. Doesn't have any of the requisite tools to succeed in this league. Doesn't shoot the puck well enough, skate well enough, pass the puck well enough, handle the puck well enough and certainly doesn't think the game well enough.

I agree 15-20 goals isn’t a “worst case”, but any of his 4 years here would put him top 2 on the team amongst wingers. We are THAT starved for offense on the wings that he actually makes sense imo

 

[Spawn]

I agree 15-20 goals isn’t a “worst case”, but any of his 4 years here would put him top 2 on the team amongst wingers. We are THAT starved for offense on the wings that he actually makes sense imo

Adding a 30 point winger who is also a disaster defensively doesn't make sense.

The Oilers need to add good players.

I get the sentiment of "beggars can't be choosers"

But that's how you end up with players like Brandon Manning and Ryan Spooner and have people saying "well they've got to be better than X."

How has that worked out for us so far?

 

[McRpro]

Even now, some posters still have a woody for Yak.

 

[Niten Ichi Ryu]

I'd love it. Been thinking about this and wondering if it's possible since the Gagner trade

Then somehow get rid of Lucic and get Hall back (when is he UFA?).
Wouldn't mind Eberle as well.
I'm not joking btw.
It stops there for me though. Not asking for Omark and MPS and Schremp too

But seriously, Yak .

Might as well. This team right now, without McDavid, is worse than any of seasons during the decade of darkness. Most of the games we won this season, especially in the first half, were almost solely on Connor's shoulders. It's scary to think how far in 31st place we would be if he was injured for the entire season

Current versions of Hall, Eberle, Omark, MPS, Schremp, Gagner and Yakupov >> Rieder, Brodziak, Cave, Malone, Puljujarvi, Lucic, Kassian

Kind of funny, during the Hall-Nuge-Eberle era, we really could've used the latter, which is filled with toughness, penalty killing specialists and big bodies. The main problem with the team was the 'softness' of the group, which got tossed around on a regular basis
Now, it's vice versa, we have those big bodies and one of the toughest rosters in the NHL, but lack the skill and finesse that the former possessed, in a league where speed and skill is the most coveted attribute now

The league is changing, which is why I believe that Yakupov would have more success if he comes back to the NHL next seasson

 

[joestevens29]

I still don't understand people desperately wanting back former players. Especially ones who can't even make the roster of any other NHL team.

I can't see why Yak would even entertain coming back here. His agent complained all the time about how we used him. Be different if he was a guy that had a lot of success here, but he didn't.

 

[Canovin]

I can't see why Yak would even entertain coming back here. His agent complained all the time about how we used him. Be different if he was a guy that had a lot of success here, but he didn't.

He still had the most success here.

 

[nturn06]

Think he would score less than anyone outside McDavid, Drai and Nuge? Seriously. He would instantly be the biggest scoring threat on the wings and that’s not to praise him as much as a reflection of what a mess this team is in.

Didn't Nail play for Hitch in 16-17 season? I think he had 3 goals in 40 games....

 

[joestevens29]

He still had the most success here.

Which means very little, considering it wasn't exactly that great.

 

[rboomercat90]

Before everyone gets to excited about Yakupov's goal scoring in the KHL, he's also 4 goals behind Nigel Dawes...

There’s some perspective for ya.

 

[BudBundy]

Small, slow former Oiler who played his way out of the NHL. Likeable, but is only putting up pedestrian numbers in a lesser league. Yet we picked up Sam Gagner anyway.

As for Yakupov, no. That ship has sailed.

 

[fuswald]

Nail is coming back? Thought we got rid of Chiarelli.

 

[Oilers in NS]

I still don't understand people desperately wanting back former players. Especially ones who can't even make the roster of any other NHL team.

It never stops. People go on about Dubey and Brossoit. Dubey was getting scored on from center when he was here. After us, he went to Nashville and we got Hendricks who I really liked. Trotz said at the time he was terrible and sent him packing for Montreal. The Habs sent him packing. He had a good season in Minnesota because of a solid defence in front of him. He has been terrible recently. Brossoit was terrible here as well. You can't grade a player on the future people.

 

[MettleMcOiler]

lol at the people that say no. Reality is that we aren't getting a top 6 line winger for peanuts. No one wants our dead weight. We have no cap room to sign someone substantial for a while and Yakupov is a clear upgrade, however small, compared to what we have now. Even for a year, to keep our prospects developing in the AHL.

 

[joestevens29]

It never stops. People go on about Dubey and Brossoit. Dubey was getting scored on from center when he was here. After us, he went to Nashville and we got Hendricks who I really liked. Trotz said at the time he was terrible and sent him packing for Montreal. The Habs sent him packing. He had a good season in Minnesota because of a solid defence in front of him. He has been terrible recently. Brossoit was terrible here as well. You can't grade a player on the future people.

Dubnyk also changed a couple things in his game. He came out and said after Montreal that he realized if he were to stay in the NHL he needed to make changes to his game.

 

[McShogun99]

lol at people that say no. Reality is that we aren't getting a top 6 line winger for peanuts. No one wants our dead weight. We have no cap room to sign someone substantial for a while and Yakupov is a clear upgrade, however small, compared to what we have now. Even for a year, to keep our prospects developing in the AHL.

A 4th line of Yakupov-Gagner-MPS would be better then our 3rd and 4th line right now.

 

[Homesick]

Yak probably would have been a decent NHL player with a season or two under Kruger....but then he got Eakin'd