Player Discussion Yak Talk Part IV: It's nearly time... For camp

[LTIR]

Team Russia snub and all this 3rd round pick value talk must have made Yak and his agent realize that the grass wont be greener on the other side... hopefully he works on his game this offseason and proves everyone wrong. Really no point trading him especially if Kassian or Pakarinen are the other options for 3rd line RW.. might as well keep him around to create some competition

 

[Up the Irons]

So what is the point of trading Yak for pretty much nothing? It is obvious to both Oilers and Yak that there isnt much demand for him and no one is going to give him the rope he expects. If Oilers are icing 3 scoring lines next season then hanging onto him isnt a bad move.

because keeping him means you're playing a useless player?

all kidding aside, i agree with you somewhat that there's no value in trading him, but he is a liability on the ice. There are better options on the waiver wire, every year.

 

[McTedi]

Exactly.

Give him the Yzerman/Drouin treatment off to the minors. Earn the trade or earn your spot in the NHL.

And lose him on waivers?

 

[Aerchon]

because keeping him means you're playing a useless player?

all kidding aside, i agree with you somewhat that there's no value in trading him, but he is a liability on the ice. There are better options on the waiver wire, every year.

Yak is a lost cause in Edmonton primarily because of Edmontons glut of high end forwards. On most teams he would easily be able to maintain a sheltered top 6 role and do much better offensively.

Most team needs a player like Yak for thier top 6. Just not the Oilers. With the addition of JP, Yak just fell that much further on the depth chart.

Even if Yak didn't request a trade He should in my mind. And the Oilers should trade him whether Yak wants one either.

Yak and his on ice lack of IQ combined with his off ice circus routine needs to go. For every possible reason no matter the return.

I imagine He will be a locker room distraction if he isn't already and doesn't bring anything the club needs to win.

I and I would assume every Oiler fan, want Yak to succeed here. I personally just can't imagine that happening here but I can somewhere else. For everyone involved it makes sense to move him.

 

[Young Lions*]

because keeping him means you're playing a useless player?

all kidding aside, i agree with you somewhat that there's no value in trading him, but he is a liability on the ice. There are better options on the waiver wire, every year.

If that's true, we haven't seen any pass through YEG.

I'll repeat what I said upthread: is he a worse option than Korpse or Kassian or Pak Man? I think not.

 

[Young Lions*]

Yak is a lost cause in Edmonton primarily because of Edmontons glut of high end forwards. On most teams he would easily be able to maintain a sheltered top 6 role and do much better offensively.

Most team needs a player like Yak for thier top 6. Just not the Oilers. With the addition of JP, Yak just fell that much further on the depth chart.

The Oilers are in a position where, like the recent Cup champs, they can run three scoring lines.

YMMV but a top nine of:

Maroon-McDavid-Puljujarvi
Hall-RNH-Eberle
Pouliot-Draisaitl-Yakupov

...it gives you a lot of options for sheltering guys.

 

[Gone]

The Oilers are in a position where, like the recent Cup champs, they can run three scoring lines.

YMMV but a top nine of:

Maroon-McDavid-Puljujarvi
Hall-RNH-Eberle
Pouliot-Draisaitl-Yakupov

...it gives you a lot of options for sheltering guys.

I am guessing Pouliot and Yak are gone for D before the season begins, and we replace Pou with Lucic.

 

[Young Lions*]

I am guessing Pouliot and Yak are gone for D before the season begins, and we replace Pou with Lucic.

That would be dumb.

 

[Gone]

That would be dumb.

Thanks for letting me know. Much appreciated.

 

[Johnny McBravo]

That would be dumb.

How???? That's clearly an upgrade

 

[Up the Irons]

If that's true, we haven't seen any pass through YEG.

I'll repeat what I said upthread: is he a worse option than Korpse or Kassian or Pak Man? I think not.

he scored less then Korp and Kassian/Pak check off other boxes. so, yes, a case can be made that Yak is worse, or at least no better than, any of those three.

he can't crack the top 6 (Purcell was better!!!!), and can't play in the bottom 6 --> the very definition of useless.

its a redundant argument anyway. they are all either useless or non factors. i'd say Kassian is the best of them all. At least he fills a bottom 6 role and gives you quality minutes when used. What does Yak do when he's out there? skate around on the wrong wing, carry the puck into the corner.... turn it over.... miss the net by 2 feet.....

 

[Up the Irons]

Yak is a lost cause in Edmonton primarily because of Edmontons glut of high end forwards. On most teams he would easily be able to maintain a sheltered top 6 role and do much better offensively.

Most team needs a player like Yak for thier top 6. Just not the Oilers. With the addition of JP, Yak just fell that much further on the depth chart.

Even if Yak didn't request a trade He should in my mind. And the Oilers should trade him whether Yak wants one either.

Yak and his on ice lack of IQ combined with his off ice circus routine needs to go. For every possible reason no matter the return.

I imagine He will be a locker room distraction if he isn't already and doesn't bring anything the club needs to win.

I and I would assume every Oiler fan, want Yak to succeed here. I personally just can't imagine that happening here but I can somewhere else. For everyone involved it makes sense to move him.

funny, how no one doubts for a second that the 18 year old Finn, without any NHL experience, will easily beat out the 22 year old Yak, with close to 200 NHL games.

doesn't that speak volumes?

 

[Dorian2]

Since I've thrown in my 2 bits every other Yak thread.....I will in this one as well. You know my stance on Yak at this time, which has changed a number of times over the last 3 or 4 years. If and probably when he's traded, I'd think he'd be more part of a package deal considering his current worth and our needs as a team. That would be best case IMO. This is on the top D possibility with Yak included with a top 2 line player and perhaps more depending. It's time to cull the herd and Yak is at the top of my personal list. Only because I haven't seen the development I expected, and I am a patient man.

But only Chia and the rest know what's in line for him, so there's no point getting uptight or upset if something happens that I don't agree with, so I just hope Chia can work something out to make this crappy team better.

I choose to trust Chia to make the best move possible, whether Yaks stays or goes.

Although my opinion of Yak has deviated greatly, I was still a very big fan at 1 point a while ago:

 

[Young Lions*]

he scored less then Korp and Kassian/Pak check off other boxes. so, yes, a case can be made that Yak is worse, or at least no better than, any of those three.

He scored 23 points to Korpse's 22 and was better at ES. Kassian was terrible outside his first few games and Pak was...whatever he was.

he can't crack the top 6 (Purcell was better!!!!), and can't play in the bottom 6 --> the very definition of useless.

Again: he's an upgrade in the bottom six from the players I named. If the options are trading Yak for a nothing return or keeping him and playing him in a middle six role with the plan to either trade him if his value goes up or sacrifice him on the alter of expansion, the latter is a complete no brainer.

 

[Young Lions*]

How???? That's clearly an upgrade

Not enough of an upgrade for the price. Pouliot is cheaper and produces at about the same rate. He's a bargain compared to Lucic. Hope like hell Benning takes that poison pill.

 

[PKSpecialist]

1. Did the Edmonton Oilers make a large investment into the potential of Nail Yakupov?
-He was the first overall pick, so yes, I would say that is a large investment.
2. Does Nail Yakupov possess good skill?
-I don't think that's really a question. His speed and skill is obvious, maybe its his confidence, maybe its his brain, maybe its something else completely, but he has speed and skill.
3. Has Nail Yakupov shown good production?
-At times yes. When playing under a nurturing head coach like Krueger he had confidence and produced well as a rookie. He has shown other stretches, but mostly, his production hasn't been there.
4. If Nail Yakupov has skill and speed, and has shown he can produce, why doesn't he always produce?
-Like many scorer's, Yakupov is streaky. Maybe incredibly streaky. Goes to confidence. He obviously needs confidence, and he currently doesn't have it.
5. Does Yakupov need to play with other skilled players in order to produce?
-Absolutely. Can't produce on his own, but he has shown the ability to produce when put with like-minded offensive players.
6. Does Yakupov show effort on the ice?
-Certainly appears to. He tries hard, or at least appears to, but maybe lacks the knowledge of the defensive game to show results.
7. Has Yakupov been disciplined/ridiculed for his defensive play in public?
-Yes.
8. Is Yakupov the only forward on the team who is a defensive liability?
-No.
9. Are the other forwards who are defensive liabilities given less opportunity, lesser linemates, or disciplined/ridiculed for their defensive play?
-Doesn't appear so.
10. If the Oilers made a huge investment into Yakupov by drafting him first overall, and he has shown that he can produce when he has confidence, and in order for him to have confidence he needs to produce, and in order for him to produce he needs to play with like-minded offensive players, why is he being treated differently than the other players on the team?


This really isn't an Eberle vs. Yakupov debate. It's an Edmonton Oilers coaching/management group vs. Yakupov debate. I get that he probably isn't long for this team, but this team was a gong show last year, why wasn't he given every opportunity to prove his worth, if for nothing else his trade value. 10 points in 11 games with McDavid and Pouliot early in the year. Why not do the same thing down the stretch and build him up? That would have been better asset management.

I badly want the Oilers to trade Yakupov, but because of how poorly they have handled this entire situation, as a person and a player, he has zero value. They need to keep him, and hope that he/they can build up his value now, in a season that isn't yet lost...

 

[cbzblaze]

Yak is the product of bad management. He still has the tools to succeed, was never given the proper chance.

I would run these lines:
Maroon Mcd Yak
Hall drai kassian/pulju
Poo rnh ebs

Yak played great with McDavid in his limited time together. If that line can be successful, it lets us ice 2 other really strong lines. Other teams are definitely going to matchup their top pairing D aganst McDavid regardless of his linemates so it's almost better to stack our other 2 lines as much as possible against their weaker d.

 

[Took a pill in Sbisa]

1. Did the Edmonton Oilers make a large investment into the potential of Nail Yakupov?
-He was the first overall pick, so yes, I would say that is a large investment.
2. Does Nail Yakupov possess good skill?
-I don't think that's really a question. His speed and skill is obvious, maybe its his confidence, maybe its his brain, maybe its something else completely, but he has speed and skill.
3. Has Nail Yakupov shown good production?
-At times yes. When playing under a nurturing head coach like Krueger he had confidence and produced well as a rookie. He has shown other stretches, but mostly, his production hasn't been there.
4. If Nail Yakupov has skill and speed, and has shown he can produce, why doesn't he always produce?
-Like many scorer's, Yakupov is streaky. Maybe incredibly streaky. Goes to confidence. He obviously needs confidence, and he currently doesn't have it.
5. Does Yakupov need to play with other skilled players in order to produce?
-Absolutely. Can't produce on his own, but he has shown the ability to produce when put with like-minded offensive players.
6. Does Yakupov show effort on the ice?
-Certainly appears to. He tries hard, or at least appears to, but maybe lacks the knowledge of the defensive game to show results.
7. Has Yakupov been disciplined/ridiculed for his defensive play in public?
-Yes.
8. Is Yakupov the only forward on the team who is a defensive liability?
-No.
9. Are the other forwards who are defensive liabilities given less opportunity, lesser linemates, or disciplined/ridiculed for their defensive play?
-Doesn't appear so.
10. If the Oilers made a huge investment into Yakupov by drafting him first overall, and he has shown that he can produce when he has confidence, and in order for him to have confidence he needs to produce, and in order for him to produce he needs to play with like-minded offensive players, why is he being treated differently than the other players on the team?


This really isn't an Eberle vs. Yakupov debate. It's an Edmonton Oilers coaching/management group vs. Yakupov debate. I get that he probably isn't long for this team, but this team was a gong show last year, why wasn't he given every opportunity to prove his worth, if for nothing else his trade value. 10 points in 11 games with McDavid and Pouliot early in the year. Why not do the same thing down the stretch and build him up? That would have been better asset management.

I badly want the Oilers to trade Yakupov, but because of how poorly they have handled this entire situation, as a person and a player, he has zero value. They need to keep him, and hope that he/they can build up his value now, in a season that isn't yet lost...

Did you just interview yourself?

 

[AM]

If I was Yaks coach, I would have a hard time finding time on the ice for him, year after year.

Its really all on him, a change of scenery could likely do him wonders bu he is still currently a work in progress.

 

[Replacement*]

How???? That's clearly an upgrade

This doesn't factor in that Lucic comes at a high contract price and with considerable baggage. In short how much is it worth having his production at his cost and also having a player that few players even within the dressingroom like or see eye to eye with. A player that is almost guaranteed to be a distraction every other game taking mindless penalties and making questionable on ice decisions.

Lucic produced well enough for LA but in no way did he contribute to making the team better. I would say the net effect of Lucic in LA was negative to team success.

 

[slaman]

Did you just interview yourself?

I was wondering the same thing...

 

[Beerfish]

This doesn't factor in that Lucic comes at a high contract price and with considerable baggage. In short how much is it worth having his production at his cost and also having a player that few players even within the dressingroom like or see eye to eye with. A player that is almost guaranteed to be a distraction every other game taking mindless penalties and making questionable on ice decisions.

Lucic produced well enough for LA but in no way did he contribute to making the team better. I would say the net effect of Lucic in LA was negative to team success.

Lucic would be a huge plays and anyone that looks at the player just for his 'stats' is totally missing the point. He would be so much more of factor than pouliot.

I'd also have to see more than one verified credible link to your assertion that hes bad in the dressing room as this is the 1st I've heard of it.

 

[Replacement*]

Lucic would be a huge plays and anyone that looks at the player just for his 'stats' is totally missing the point. He would be so much more of factor than pouliot.

I'd also have to see more than one verified credible link to your assertion that hes bad in the dressing room as this is the 1st I've heard of it.

Lucic was so much of a negative factor in LA and at the worst possible moments. With this even continuing in the playoffs.

I absolutely believe the Kings had zero interest in extending this player and never even made the effort. Lucic is a me first player and always has been. He's very subject to losing his mind irrespective of the score.

I'm a huge LA fan so I paid close attention to his impact in that lineup and while trying to keep an open mind on the player.

Lucic has a rep for on ice stupidity, for obvious reasons.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

How ironic that we're talking about a distraction player in a thread about a player who is probably also a distraction.

 

[Replacement*]

How ironic that we're talking about a distraction player in a thread about a player who is probably also a distraction.

its not mutually exclusive and the players are distractions for different reasons. Put Yak in a feature role and he stops being a distraction. Create reliance on Lucic and pay the consequence for him selfishly engaging in the worst decisions at the worst time. I tried to like Lucic in LA, really did, but its quite clear that overall his contribution to that lineup had a negative instead of positive effect. Most notably that a team that prided itself on playing smart hockey had a noted idiot in the lineup.