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

[IV XIV XCI]

Tough to predict offensive chemistry. Hemsky the playmaker and Yak the sniper sounds like a potential match on paper.

As a few of us have already metioned above, Hemsky is difficult to play with because he hangs on to the puck lots and too long sometimes. May be Yak will benefit from not having to do the heavy lifting on carrying the puck and just look for shooting chance if he can time Hemsky's moves/passes.

One thing I would guess tho, is whoever going to be their center, he better be incredibly hard working, great defensively, strong physically and gritty. That line is going to have a lot of defensive problems.

Horcoff?

 

[Moose Coleman]

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.

Okay: show us.

 

[Ogopogo*]

Okay: show us.

You can do your own YouTube work or, better yet, watch him play this year.

 

[Moose Coleman]

You can do your own YouTube work or, better yet, watch him play this year.

You're the one making the claim, so it's up to you to back it up.

 

[Njoy Oilers]

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.

Did you ever watch Messier play? He coughed up the puck on a nightly basis. He was a scrub too.

 

[Moose Coleman]

Did you ever watch Messier play? He coughed up the puck on a nightly basis. He was a scrub too.

If you built a team out of the league leaders in giveaways, you'd probably have a Cup champ on your hands.

 

[Njoy Oilers]

If you built a team out of the league leaders in giveaways, you'd probably have a Cup champ on your hands.

There you go!

 

[CornKicker]

clearly the guys who handles the puck more will have more turnovers.

 

[eS7]

clearly the guys who handles the puck more will have more turnovers.

Pretty much this. It is the same in every sport.

 

[Toydarian]

If you built a team out of the league leaders in giveaways, you'd probably have a Cup champ on your hands.

Here you go:

Kovalchuk - Malkin - Kessel
Hall - Getzlaf - Tavares
Ribeiro - Thornton - Pavelski
Jokinen - Spezza - J.Williams
Iginla

Chara- Doughty
Carlson - Karlsson
Subban - Petry
Phaneuf - Burns

All had more Giveaways than Hemsky last season

 

[Ogopogo*]

Did you ever watch Messier play? He coughed up the puck on a nightly basis. He was a scrub too.

There is a HUGE difference between a guy that can put up 129 points and win the Hart Trophy and a guy who scores less than a point a game with 0 consideration for a Hart.

With Messier's talent it is forgivable. With Hemsky's talent, it is a problem.

 

[Ogopogo*]

Here you go:

Kovalchuk - Malkin - Kessel
Hall - Getzlaf - Tavares
Ribeiro - Thornton - Pavelski
Jokinen - Spezza - J.Williams
Iginla

Chara- Doughty
Carlson - Karlsson
Subban - Petry
Phaneuf - Burns

All had more Giveaways than Hemsky last season

Every single one of them is a better player than Hemksy. When you put up the kind of points Malkin does, it is completely forgivable. When you put up the kind of points Hemsky does, we have a problem.

If you are good enough, flaws can be forgiven. If you are a second-liner like Hemsky, then the flaws are harder to justify.

 

[Draiskull]

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!

wrong!! He is only half evil .. like 2-face.

 

[Toydarian]

Every single one of them is a better player than Hemksy. When you put up the kind of points Malkin does, it is completely forgivable. When you put up the kind of points Hemsky does, we have a problem.

If you are good enough, flaws can be forgiven. If you are a second-liner like Hemsky, then the flaws are harder to justify.

Last season, sure Hemsky didn't produce. Every year before that, he had decent production.

 

[bucks_oil]

Every single one of them is a better player than Hemksy. When you put up the kind of points Malkin does, it is completely forgivable. When you put up the kind of points Hemsky does, we have a problem.

If you are good enough, flaws can be forgiven. If you are a second-liner like Hemsky, then the flaws are harder to justify.

I understand your point, but this is becoming a very circular argument.

You posited that Hemsky is a poor player because he turns over the puck.

People counter by saying that the best players in the league turn over the puck more than most simply because they carry the puck more... sure enough, the numbers bare that out. So turning over the puck can also mean you are your teams'/lines' defacto puck carrier.

And all of us know that to be the case with Hemsky when he is on the ice.

Now you counter by saying "yes but he isn't productive enough".

But with the obvious exception of last year, he's been >0.8 ppg.

This argument just isn't going anywhere.

 

[McBooya42]

I understand your point, but this is becoming a very circular argument.

You posited that Hemsky is a poor player because he turns over the puck.

People counter by saying that the best players in the league turn over the puck more than most simply because they carry the puck more... sure enough, the numbers bare that out. So turning over the puck can also mean you are your teams'/lines' defacto puck carrier.

And all of us know that to be the case with Hemsky when he is on the ice.

Now you counter by saying "yes but he isn't productive enough".

But with the obvious exception of last year, he's been >0.8 ppg.

This argument just isn't going anywhere.

Nailed it.../end argument by ogopogo.

 

[Horseradish]

Honestly, if Hemsky's as healthy as ever, he may have a career year in points, I think. He's gonna be a second line option now, meaning that other teams are going to have secondary offensive threats and defensive pairings against him. Add on that Yakupov's a sniper with a nose for the net and a tenacious attitude (much more so than any other partner Hemmer's ever had, except MAYBE Sykora, and Hall, but Hall developed instant chemistry with Ebs as his wingman), and presumably a guy like Gagner between them who can go to the net, retain and/or shelter the puck, shoot, or pass all reasonably well, thus complimenting both wingers' skill sets, and that line could be lights out.

I really think Hemsky will be close to a PPG again this year. And if not, I'd consider it a disappointment.

 

[sepHF]

Every single one of them is a better player than Hemksy. When you put up the kind of points Malkin does, it is completely forgivable. When you put up the kind of points Hemsky does, we have a problem.

If you are good enough, flaws can be forgiven. If you are a second-liner like Hemsky, then the flaws are harder to justify.

Every single one of them is a better player than Hemksy. When you put up the kind of points Malkin does, it is completely forgivable. When you put up the kind of points Hemsky does, we have a problem.

If you are good enough, flaws can be forgiven. If you are a second-liner like Hemsky, then the flaws are harder to justify.

I'd say a case could be made for guys like Jokinen, Pavelski and Williams.

There's no doubt that they're worth more because of Hemskys injury history but I'd say there pretty close as far as talent and skill go.

Honestly, if Hemsky's as healthy as ever, he may have a career year in points, I think. He's gonna be a second line option now, meaning that other teams are going to have secondary offensive threats and defensive pairings against him. Add on that Yakupov's a sniper with a nose for the net and a tenacious attitude (much more so than any other partner Hemmer's ever had, except MAYBE Sykora, and Hall, but Hall developed instant chemistry with Ebs as his wingman), and presumably a guy like Gagner between them who can go to the net, retain and/or shelter the puck, shoot, or pass all reasonably well, thus complimenting both wingers' skill sets, and that line could be lights out.

I really think Hemsky will be close to a PPG again this year. And if not, I'd consider it a disappointment.

He's going to have a hard time matching his previous PPG high's because he won't be playing 1:30 of every single PP anymore.

If Hemsky scores at a 60-70 point pace we should all be thrilled.

 

[nexttothemoon]

If Hemsky scores at a 60-70 point pace on the 2nd line this team is a favourite for the Stanley Cup... seriously.

Here's a list of all the forwards who were 91st-180th in scoring (2nd line forwards) last year who scored 70+ pts:




And here's the list of those same forwards who scored 60+ pts:





And finally all those that scored 51+ pts:








No one outside the top 90 forwards scored more than 50 pts.


I agree, if that second line of Yakupov-Gagner-Hemsky clicks and that first line produces like it did last year (or better)... plus there's improvement from the defense in terms of offense as well... this team is going to look a LOT different in the standings at the end of the season than they looked last year. They need basically just average defense and goaltending if they can have that type of superior offense.

Of course it could all go to hell with regression, injuries and a raft of other problems... but right now the outlook is very promising.

 

[Meanashell11]

I understand your point, but this is becoming a very circular argument.

You posited that Hemsky is a poor player because he turns over the puck.

People counter by saying that the best players in the league turn over the puck more than most simply because they carry the puck more... sure enough, the numbers bare that out. So turning over the puck can also mean you are your teams'/lines' defacto puck carrier.

And all of us know that to be the case with Hemsky when he is on the ice.

Now you counter by saying "yes but he isn't productive enough".

But with the obvious exception of last year, he's been >0.8 ppg.

This argument just isn't going anywhere.

Pawned!

You're up Ogopogo!

 

[SirMcJesusThe1st]

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.

For some reason I used to consider you a knowledgable hockey mind and respected your opinion.. Now you sound like a dude with some kinda vendetta against Hemsky. The question is do YOU watch him play? It's almost like you have one or two specific giveaways in mind and that's what your entire opinion is based on. Did he snub you at the bar once or something? Do you know what it's like to come back from surgery/major injury? The guys not blind to fact that the team was still tanking last year either. What good would it have done anyone giving it 100% all season long coming off major surgery? Him re-signing despite masses of Pejorative Slur fans being all over his case proves he has a read on things and where they're headed.

I predict this line makes beautiful things happen this season. I've always been of the opinion that Hemsky needed to be paired with a European type scorer. Yak's about to be fed passes from the best playmaker he's ever been paired with. The sky's the limit for this combo.

 

[TheBusDriver]

Heard hemsky fell on the ice today and was favouring his arm. Can anyone confirm this?

 

[Pressure]

meh, its been 10 years of trying to find the perfect partner for Hemsky.

Right....we REALLy found someone that is relevant for him...Dvorak and Sykora...and if I remember correctly they were pretty good during that run together.

I sense a hater here.

 

[Turrican*]

Heard hemsky fell on the ice today and was favouring his arm. Can anyone confirm this?

I can confirm that Hemsky was in the movie Unbreakable.

 

[Pressure]

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.

More like if YOU really believe that, then why has he earned the praise and trust of countless coaches and GM's over the years. Why would they all comment that he's a fearless warrior that drives into the boards and never (besides last year after the shoulder injury) shies away from contact?

Unbelievable. If you're a fan and actually watched the Oilers over the years you could never say that Hemsky lacks heart.

If you really believe what you just wrote, it's obvious you're just a hater.