Possible Yakupov - Hemsky pairing could be just what #83 needs

nabob

Big Daddy Kane
Aug 3, 2005
34,312
20,713
HF boards
Hemsky has played with huge amounts of heart in the past. Last season however he seemed defeated, and seemed to be sulking with his decreased role on the club. Hopefully he finds the fire again.
 

tiger_80

Registered User
Apr 11, 2007
8,661
1,514
Exactly. What Hemsky needs is a heart transplant. He doesn't compete, doesn't battle, doesn't play to his potential and won't suddenly be a superstar because a better player is on his line. He has to bring it himself and, if after 10 years he hasn't done it, he never will.

Hemsky was tentative last year for whatever reason-- maybe he was not 100%; maybe subconsciously was trying to avoid another injury; maybe the years of physical punishment finally took their toll and he will remain a ***** for the rest of his career.
That said, I see the drop in his point totals as more of a consequence of the reduced power play time. If he played on the 1st unit, he'd definitely put upwards of 50 points a year.
 

BOUNCE

Registered User
Jul 22, 2007
675
13
Edmonton
I think Hemsky will rebound big time if he is 100% healthy. I hope we see the Hemsky from the 05-06 season, he is capable of it. Even if he plays with Smyth and Horc he is going to do great. The top 9 that Edmonton has should be lethal if they all stay healthy.
 

nexttothemoon

and again...
Jan 30, 2010
29,303
16,476
Northern AB
It has to be a kick in the ego to go from #1 for years... down to essentially #6 on the charts now. I hope he's got something to prove to everyone that he's still much better than that.
 

nexttothemoon

and again...
Jan 30, 2010
29,303
16,476
Northern AB
... if he is 100% healthy.

... if they all stay healthy.

Not just singling your comments out but that's what we've been saying about the Oilers for years... and they never are. :)

This year though they seem to be relatively healthy finally (at least for now) and likely have more talent on the roster than in many years so I hope the injury demons can mostly stay away over the next 4 dozen games so we don't actually have to wonder how they would have done if they'd have stayed healthy.
 

thadd

Oil4Life
Jun 9, 2007
26,717
2,718
Canada
Actually this could be just what Gagner needs.

When Gagner was playing with Hall and Eberle he produced ok, but it was hard for Edmonton because it was the only scoring line they had which presented a threat.

This year nobody can deny again that teams will put more effort into shutting down our first line and it'll make it easier a little easier for Yakupov, Hemsky and Gagner to put up points.

If Hemsky isn't putting up a sick amount of points, I want him gone after this contract.
If Gagner isn't making Yakupov look like a strong candidate for the calder (of course I expect Schultz to win it) I'll want him gone too as soon as we find a suitable upgrade at center. Can't just give him away for nothing..
 

thadd

Oil4Life
Jun 9, 2007
26,717
2,718
Canada
Not just singling your comments out but that's what we've been saying about the Oilers for years... and they never are. :)

This year though they seem to be relatively healthy finally (at least for now) and likely have more talent on the roster than in many years so I hope the injury demons can mostly stay away over the next 4 dozen games so we don't actually have to wonder how they would have done if they'd have stayed healthy.

Last year wasn't bad for injuries.

Whitney was getting over an injury.

Hemsky played more than I thought he would.

Horcoff played a lot more than I thought he could.

Smyth did a great job of staying healthy... just our young kids up front who needs to put on a bit more weight and make better decisions in the dangerous areas got banged up a bit.

A few year ago I was thinking Smid was injury prone, but he was solid as a rock like Petry last year.

We didn't get bitten by injuries nearly as much last year.
 

Ogopogo*

Guest
Anybody with two eyes and a brain realizes that this is simply not true.

If you really believe that Hemsky battles and competes then his problem must be a lack of talent. It that guy is going all out to produce such mediocre results, he is not a very good hockey player.
 

Draiskull

Registered User
Oct 26, 2005
23,320
2,160
If you really believe that Hemsky battles and competes then his problem must be a lack of talent. It that guy is going all out to produce such mediocre results, he is not a very good hockey player.

Hemsky led this team in scoring the following years:
05-06
06-07
07-08
08-09

He has 22pts in 22GP in 09-10 and 42pts in 47GP the year after.

Take away the last year and the results arent very mediocre. Hemsky battles\competes hard ..He wouldnt be a great player if he didnt.
 

Moose Coleman

Registered User
Apr 12, 2012
4,016
0
If you really believe that Hemsky battles and competes then his problem must be a lack of talent. It that guy is going all out to produce such mediocre results, he is not a very good hockey player.

Consistently scoring at nearly a point per game pace is "mediocre results".

Just :laugh:
 

s7ark

RIP
Jul 3, 2003
27,579
174
If you really believe that Hemsky battles and competes then his problem must be a lack of talent. It that guy is going all out to produce such mediocre results, he is not a very good hockey player.

He's been near PPG every season except for his last one and early in his career. I am not sure how those results are mediocre. His problem has been not playing full seasons, not his production in the games he does play.

Edit: beaten to the punch, I should have refreshed the tab before posting.
 

Toydarian

Registered User
Jun 2, 2009
2,732
2
I think Hemsky is going to have a good year. From all reports, he has played very well in the Czech league and has been healthy for a decent period of time. I don't "expect" anything from Ales, but I wouldn't be surprised if he is in the high 30s, low 40s for points. At this point I expect Yak to play with Hemsky, but I'm curious to see who plays LW. In regards to the defensive concerns surounding a Yakupov-Gagner-Hemsky line, it is the coach's responsibility to utilize them appropriately. As a 2nd line, I expect them to get easier match-ups and to be kept away from other teams' no.1 line.
 

Ogopogo*

Guest
Hemsky led this team in scoring the following years:
05-06
06-07
07-08
08-09

He has 22pts in 22GP in 09-10 and 42pts in 47GP the year after.

Take away the last year and the results arent very mediocre. Hemsky battles\competes hard ..He wouldnt be a great player if he didnt.

So, do any of you Hemsky fan boys actually watch him play?

Leading a team of crap players in scoring isn't much of an accomplishment. Mel Bridgman led the NJ Devils in scoring in 1983-84 and in 1984-85. Is he a great player?

The guy coughs up the puck a ton and does not lead a team. He is an extra part - a decent 2nd liner. Too many of you were so starved for talent on this team over the past 6 years that you cling to Hemsky as a star. You overrate him because we didn't have anything better for so long. Those days are over, we can now see him for what he really is.

A decent 2nd liner, a spare part that coughs up the puck a lot and makes very little difference to the W/L totals of this team whether he is in the lineup or not.
 

Njoy Oilers

Registered User
Aug 6, 2010
3,339
1
Southern Alberta.
So, do any of you Hemsky fan boys actually watch him play?

Leading a team of crap players in scoring isn't much of an accomplishment. Mel Bridgman led the NJ Devils in scoring in 1983-84 and in 1984-85. Is he a great player?

The guy coughs up the puck a ton and does not lead a team. He is an extra part - a decent 2nd liner. Too many of you were so starved for talent on this team over the past 6 years that you cling to Hemsky as a star. You overrate him because we didn't have anything better for so long. Those days are over, we can now see him for what he really is.

A decent 2nd liner, a spare part that coughs up the puck a lot and makes very little difference to the W/L totals of this team whether he is in the lineup or not.

The way you described him, he wouldn't be a decent AHLer never mind a 2nd liner. Your grasping.
 

Moose Coleman

Registered User
Apr 12, 2012
4,016
0
So, do any of you Hemsky fan boys actually watch him play?

Yep. Starting to think you don't.

Leading a team of crap players in scoring isn't much of an accomplishment. Mel Bridgman led the NJ Devils in scoring in 1983-84 and in 1984-85. Is he a great player?

4 years leading the team in scoring. At or near a PPG pace in six seasons. You can't fake that.

The guy coughs up the puck a ton and does not lead a team.

Guys who have the puck a ton tend to cough it up a lot. That's a pretty basic fact of the game: look at the league leaders in giveaways. I mean geez, do you even watch the game?

He is an extra part - a decent 2nd liner. Too many of you were so starved for talent on this team over the past 6 years that you cling to Hemsky as a star. You overrate him because we didn't have anything better for so long. Those days are over, we can now see him for what he really is.

A decent 2nd liner, a spare part that coughs up the puck a lot and makes very little difference to the W/L totals of this team whether he is in the lineup or not.

Having a second liner of Hemsky's calibre is a bonus for the Oilers, not a problem. See, there's thing thing called "depth"...
 

PaPaDee

5-14-6-1
Sep 21, 2005
13,335
2,093
Saskazoo
So, do any of you Hemsky fan boys actually watch him play?

Leading a team of crap players in scoring isn't much of an accomplishment. Mel Bridgman led the NJ Devils in scoring in 1983-84 and in 1984-85. Is he a great player?

The guy coughs up the puck a ton and does not lead a team. He is an extra part - a decent 2nd liner. Too many of you were so starved for talent on this team over the past 6 years that you cling to Hemsky as a star. You overrate him because we didn't have anything better for so long. Those days are over, we can now see him for what he really is.

A decent 2nd liner, a spare part that coughs up the puck a lot and makes very little difference to the W/L totals of this team whether he is in the lineup or not.

Hemsky (when healthy) is a very good complimentary player, not a star, but a very good player nonetheless. Similar to a guy like Huselius IMO.
 

eS7

Registered User
Dec 22, 2011
1,512
0
Saskatchewan
Nobody has pointed out yet that we were far from a crap team in 06 especially. Hemsky was a huge piece of us making it so far in the playoffs that year. So not only did he lead the team in scoring but he also lead the team through a playoff run. I have heard many times around the boards about how when we do make it to the playoffs we have no one who has any experience and will falter because of our youth. Hemsky was a huge part of that last playoff run, played with a ton of heart, made a difference in the W/L columns and was the exact opposite of a spare part. Hemsky is a good first liner and a great second liner.

None of his points make any sense so either trolling or one of those guys who can only remember what players did in the previous season.
 
Last edited:

Diamondillium

DO YOU WANT ANTS!?
Aug 22, 2011
5,704
66
Edmonton, AB
Hemsky gets so underrated on these boards, it's hilarious. By the way you hear people talk about him, you would assume he is about the same as Omark.

Let's take a look at some stats for a moment.
05-06:81GP-77PTS
06-07:64-53
07-08:74-71
08-09:72-66
09-10:22-22
10-11:47-42
11-12:69-36

He plays at nearly a point per game pace in every single season except one. In each of those seasons too, if you were to take a look at his line mates then compare those to the lines people of similar stats played on, you would see Hemsky has had some pretty terrible people to pass to.

Yes, it's fair to admit that injury concerns are an issue, however the idea of a person having a trait that makes them injurable are way overblown on HF, it really does boil down to luck moreso than anything else (not saying it's 100% luck, just that people link injuries to a player far too much). There is absolutely no denying that when Hemsky is 100% healthy, he is a force on the ice. Hemsky this season is 100% healthy. He may not get PPG numbers still, as he is starting to reach that age in which players regularly decline, but it is not unreasonable to expect that he will put up numbers that (in an 82 game season, don't feel like doing the math to convert to a shortened season) would be around 50-60 points. Considering he is going on 30, and will most likely be playing 2nd line minutes, those are very good numbers. Last season seems to have been more of an anomaly than the norm.
 

Lewy

Registered User
May 26, 2011
610
103
So, do any of you Hemsky fan boys actually watch him play?

Leading a team of crap players in scoring isn't much of an accomplishment. Mel Bridgman led the NJ Devils in scoring in 1983-84 and in 1984-85. Is he a great player?

The guy coughs up the puck a ton and does not lead a team. He is an extra part - a decent 2nd liner. Too many of you were so starved for talent on this team over the past 6 years that you cling to Hemsky as a star. You overrate him because we didn't have anything better for so long. Those days are over, we can now see him for what he really is.

A decent 2nd liner, a spare part that coughs up the puck a lot and makes very little difference to the W/L totals of this team whether he is in the lineup or not.

I can't stand posting on here very often. But this is an awfully big load of B.S. Clearly no team has need of decent second liners that score close to a PPG when healthy. This is all just rubbish. Hemksy might have been a middling 1st liner but if you can put Hemsky on line two when he's healthy the team is boasting considerable firepower.
As for the coughs up the puck a lot argument. Didn't this get resolved years ago? If you carry the puck more than your other teammates doesn't it stand to reason you will have more giveaways?
 

bucks_oil

Registered User
Aug 25, 2005
8,328
4,513
Horcoff shouldnt have been overworked.. Smyth is good on the draws and Belanger couldve been given some PP time if the kids couldnt win a faceoff. I bet Horcoff wanted\demanded the PP time ..

You are right, he's pure evil. His evil, selfish behaviour forced the oilers management to give him the captaincy by pure hypnosis. I'm so certain of this, that like you, I'm willing to bet on this conspiracy! ;)
 

eS7

Registered User
Dec 22, 2011
1,512
0
Saskatchewan
Hemsky gets so underrated on these boards, it's hilarious. By the way you hear people talk about him, you would assume he is about the same as Omark.

Let's take a look at some stats for a moment.
05-06:81GP-77PTS
06-07:64-53
07-08:74-71
08-09:72-66
09-10:22-22
10-11:47-42
11-12:69-36

He plays at nearly a point per game pace in every single season except one. In each of those seasons too, if you were to take a look at his line mates then compare those to the lines people of similar stats played on, you would see Hemsky has had some pretty terrible people to pass to.

Yes, it's fair to admit that injury concerns are an issue, however the idea of a person having a trait that makes them injurable are way overblown on HF, it really does boil down to luck moreso than anything else (not saying it's 100% luck, just that people link injuries to a player far too much). There is absolutely no denying that when Hemsky is 100% healthy, he is a force on the ice. Hemsky this season is 100% healthy. He may not get PPG numbers still, as he is starting to reach that age in which players regularly decline, but it is not unreasonable to expect that he will put up numbers that (in an 82 game season, don't feel like doing the math to convert to a shortened season) would be around 50-60 points. Considering he is going on 30, and will most likely be playing 2nd line minutes, those are very good numbers. Last season seems to have been more of an anomaly than the norm.

This is a big part of it too. If he can get going with Yakupov that will be scary. You have to think he's excited about having a star sniper like that to play with.
 

Ogopogo*

Guest
I can't stand posting on here very often. But this is an awfully big load of B.S. Clearly no team has need of decent second liners that score close to a PPG when healthy. This is all just rubbish. Hemksy might have been a middling 1st liner but if you can put Hemsky on line two when he's healthy the team is boasting considerable firepower.
As for the coughs up the puck a lot argument. Didn't this get resolved years ago? If you carry the puck more than your other teammates doesn't it stand to reason you will have more giveaways?

This is why I question if people watch him play. Look at the giveaways, they are embarrassing gaffes. People like to just dismiss this as no big deal because he carries the puck - look at the embarrassing giveaways costing us chances and giving chances to the other team. They are really bad.

Honestly, last year he seemed to get a handle on that somewhat but then, stopped scoring. His value is lower than so many people think. We should have unloaded him before the rest of the league realized that.
 

ChadSC

SportingCharts
May 10, 2012
92
0
www.sportingcharts.com
This is why I question if people watch him play. Look at the giveaways, they are embarrassing gaffes. People like to just dismiss this as no big deal because he carries the puck - look at the embarrassing giveaways costing us chances and giving chances to the other team. They are really bad.

Honestly, last year he seemed to get a handle on that somewhat but then, stopped scoring. His value is lower than so many people think. We should have unloaded him before the rest of the league realized that.

Last year, of players who played in 20+ games, Hemsky was ranked 107th in the league in Turnover +/- Per 60 min (-0.88 per 60 min): he averaged 2.71 giveaways and 1.83 takeaways per 60 min. He hasn't really been terrible in this department since '06-'07.

For what it's worth, the worst forward on the team last year was Taylor Hall with -1.46 Turnover +/- Per 60 Min. Kovalchuk was the 2nd worst forward in the league with 2.49.

Just some numbers for the argument.
 

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