Speculation: Yakopov reminds me about Daigle

[Seedling]

Yep. Let him go be the star and get his swagger back (and hopefully learn a little defense)

Maybe we can send Gagner with him.

 

[AlowlyMcOilersfan]

No, but wouldn't mind seeing him go to OKC during olympic break

This might be a good idea for him.

 

[Shanahanigans]

No way. AHL game is much less structured than NHL game, so he can get away with bad habits pretty easily. We are trying to get his game MORE structured, not less.

 

[Lay Z Boy GM]

No way. AHL game is much less structured than NHL game, so he can get away with bad habits pretty easily. We are trying to get his game MORE structured, not less.

Exactly! OKC could potentially make it even harder for Yak, best to keep working with him at the highest level imo. The confidence would be nice, but I don't want Yak getting a false sense of confidence if that makes any sense.. I don't want him to go down and come back up thinking he's got it together only to find he still has the same bad habits in the NHL. Jerking the kid around too much could end up being a disaster.

 

[Everest]

Bob Stauffer tweeted Yak's box stats versus Stamkos' at the same amount of NHL GP's.

Yakupov actually has better numbers.

Puts into some perspective....how asinine this entire discussion is.

 

[TheBusDriver]

No. I'd never send him down. Spoon feed him offensive zone minutes with good linemates if u have to. Until he gains some confidence.

 

[Lay Z Boy GM]

Bob Stauffer tweeted Yak's box stats versus Stamkos' at the same amount of NHL GP's.

Yakupov actually has better numbers.

Puts into some perspective....how asinine this entire discussion is.

Stamkos was really bad at first though. It wasn't until he had a killer summer training with Roberts that he took off.

But yea, calling Yakupov a bust already is pretty premature. He's tracked a lot like Stamkos so far. Kid could be a bust, he could also turn out to be a 50 goal scorer, just too early to write him off right now.

 

[Broilers]

Why not just bring Nelson up for a week long consult from OKC? There is about half a team here that deserves to be sent down, may as well fix all of the problems in one shot...

Good idea. I thought in the summer why he didn't become the head coach of the Oilers.

 

[Broilers]

I have a problem with Sending Yak down.

Eberle and RNH regressed and stagnated their development when they were down there.

The problem with Yak right now, is he's trying to do his junior crap. He's trying to stick handle through a maze of players, and beat defenders with speed down the middle. It's not the kind of thing he can do in the NHL.

The problem is that crap WILL work in OKC, and he'll force those stupid habits when he's called back up.

AHL is between juniors and NHL. He can get rid of junior cap in OKC

 

[Soundwave]

From Eakins comments this seems unlikely. Yakupov is not going anywhere and is not being traded, they are going to work with the kid until he figures it out, says he can see Yakupov is trying very hard to figure the system out. He said they're "joined at the hip" (with regards to Yak), so I take that to mean he's not moving anywhere.

 

[Replacement*]

This is very interesting as well- from the Oilers blog.

Eakins lost me at "we had enough forwards playing well defensively"

That should come with a laugh track. Does Eakins seriously believe this?

This is a team that folds like a cheap tent on cue and as we saw in the 3rd not all that much to do with Yakupov specifically. In fact the 2nd Panthers goal was off an abomination shift by our topline where they turned the puck over 3 times. Worse, one could see on the two previous shifts that the line had started to blunder and was thinking padding pts instead of protecting a two goal lead and looking after own end first.

Yakupov isn't the problem here. The lack of a team playing and adhering to any designate system is. Also, Yak at least is bringing intensity. The Detroit debacle had nothing to do with system. It was a home team giving up on a game early in he first period.

Try to be a rookie on a club with such a fragile psyche.

Nice scapegoating though by team and org. Lets make it so the next top draft respectively declines and asks to go back into the draft..

 

[Jarvi]

No. We are trying to build him into a NHL player, not an AHL. He will just stick with his bad habits and not learn a thing. This slump he is in could turn him into a much better player in the long run. Also he and Eakins both seem to be working with eachother well.

Lastly if some goon took a run at him and he got injured, all of you saying yes to AHL would be calling for managements head. As would I.

 

[Replacement*]

No. We are trying to build him into a NHL player, not an AHL. He will just stick with his bad habits and not learn a thing. This slump he is in could turn him into a much better player in the long run. Also he and Eakins both seem to be working with eachother well.

Lastly if some goon took a run at him and he got injured, all of you saying yes to AHL would be calling for managements head. As would I.

Yeah, remind me what our star kids learned in AHL last season playing half a season there. Yeah, diddly squat and bad habits with every one of them being poorer NHL players upon their return. Does anybody give this thought?

Maybe it works for some clubs where the issue actually is a player struggling with confidence. On this club the issues are lack of authority, structure, discipline, chaos which only gets amplified by moves like sending players down.

Lets replay to early last season. Yak struggling through first 20 games, suddenly ignites and he's the most prolific player on the club. Can't see why ignition wouldn't happen again HERE.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

AHL is between juniors and NHL. He can get rid of junior cap in OKC

Not really.

Yakupov could likely stickhandle through 3 players in the AHL with regularity. He would also score at a decent enough rate that he wouldn't need to put any focus on backchecking (like Omark).

Where do you think Eberle developed the habit of 'no-look' drop passing in the defensive zone? He certainly wasn't pulling off that garbage 2 seasons ago. He also wasn't pulling off an unsuccessful toe drag every time he broke into the offensive zone. Eberle developed a TON of bad habits down there, and was leading the league in scoring with his 'junior crap'.


I think Yak's struggles are NHL struggles, that should be worked out in the NHL.

 

[John Price]

@DarrenDreger 10:34 AM
Yakupov will play tonight vs Lightning. After yesterdays show of support, no sense in scratching him.

 

[RebuildTheRebuild]

@DarrenDreger 10:34 AM
Yakupov will play tonight vs Lightning. After yesterdays show of support, no sense in scratching him.

Is Omark confirmed to play as well? If so I wonder who sits out unless MacT makes a trade that has been speculated for a bit.

 

[Beerfish]

Yakupov is playing poorly but the the team is doing an absolutely terrible job setting things up to use his best quality, that being a rocket shot and very quick release. He should just feast on the pp ala Stamkos and ovechkin with his shot.

 

[czar99]

Yes, yes, yes!

20+ minutes a night and his confidence back. I see no downside to this.

I whole heatedly agree with you. I'm actually quite shocked at the amount of people that are against this.

Just because he was a number 1 pick means jack shat IMO. Todd Nelson has done a great job developing IMO. This being an Olympic year is perfect. That gives him a decent amount of time with Todd and it gives the rest of the team time to figure out what the hell Eakins is up too.

Win win IMO.

 

[Everest]

Yakupov is playing poorly but the the team is doing an absolutely terrible job setting things up to use his best quality, that being a rocket shot and very quick release. He should just feast on the pp ala Stamkos and ovechkin with his shot.

Agree.

At least they got it right and "un-scratched" him tonight. He projects to something like Stamkos...maybe...hopefully...someday...so...it might be a good experience for him to be in the game against him tonight.

 

[RebuildTheRebuild]

I whole heatedly agree with you. I'm actually quite shocked at the amount of people that are against this.

Just because he was a number 1 pick means jack shat IMO. Todd Nelson has done a great job developing IMO. This being an Olympic year is perfect. That gives him a decent amount of time with Todd and it gives the rest of the team to figure out what the hell Eakins is up too.

Win win IMO.

I think its because it is less structured some people can develop some bad habits that may work in the AHL but not in the NHL. Some people feel like Eberle for example developed bad habits down there although destroying the league in scoring.

Who has Todd Nelson developed that has gone on to be full time NHLers? I can only think of Petry and Arcobello who has spent significant time in the AHL and then come up to become full time NHLers. I think Todd Nelson is great coach at winning but development there is a question mark there.

 

[Trafalgar Sadge Law]

I whole heatedly agree with you. I'm actually quite shocked at the amount of people that are against this.

Just because he was a number 1 pick means jack shat IMO. Todd Nelson has done a great job developing IMO. This being an Olympic year is perfect. That gives him a decent amount of time with Todd and it gives the rest of the team time to figure out what the hell Eakins is up too.

Win win IMO.

Lolwut? He's developed like 1 NHLer in 4 years.

 

[misfit]

Yakupov is playing poorly but the the team is doing an absolutely terrible job setting things up to use his best quality, that being a rocket shot and very quick release. He should just feast on the pp ala Stamkos and ovechkin with his shot.

I agree that's where he's at his best, but to be fair, he's been struggling a fair bit in that regard as well.

And it's been the same problem he's had all over the ice. Regardless of why it's not going in (missing the net, poor timing, bad luck, etc.), when it doesn't over and over he gets visibly frustrated and either starts overthinking or stops thinking altogether. If one or two of those opportunities went in for him early on in the season, things would probably be very different for him right now.

You always here veteran players and coaches talking about not getting too high when things are good or too low when they go bad, and Yakupov is a great example of that. When he's playing with confidence, he's skating, finding space, attacking the puck, and playing on his natural instincts. When he doesn't have that confidence, you get the player we've seen to this point. That's why I don't mind Eakins' comment about why Yakupov sat in the 3rd against Florida. He did lots of positive things in that game in which he could build upon and be happy about. If that was him on the ice instead of Gagner or Hemsky on that tying goal, even if it wasn't his fault, a little bit of bad luck could've undone all the good from earlier in the game, especially once all the media started in on it.


As for the OP, it all depends on his attitude towards a trip to OKC. If he views it as a demotion or a punishment, then I think it's a terrible idea. If he sees it as an opportunity to get more icetime and work on the parts of his game that he's struggling with, then it could work. I personally think it's possible for him to work through his current struggles at this level, and doing it that way will go a lot farther than tearing up a league he's clearly too good for. Not only that, but what if he doesn't shoot the lights out in OKC? Struggling at that level could set him back even more.

 

[Broilers]

It is not only confidence but he may have lost the joy of playing the game. I thnik this element wiil be gained back in AHL too

http://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/20...ile-back-to-nail-yakupov-striker-in-training/

 

[Hockey Monkey]

Lolwut? He's developed like 1 NHLer in 4 years.

Petry, Arcobello, Hartikainen, Lander, MPS, Fedun, and Pitlick all seem to have at least possible NHL futures and they all improved a lot playing for Nelson. Marincin, Davidson, and Martindale might also if they keep developing. That's not a bad return considering the quality of the prospects he's been sent.

As for Yak coming to OKC, I don't think being in the AHL will "fix" whatever is wrong with him. Nelson demands a pretty serious two way game and doesn't allow for a lot of creativity or offensive dynamism. It'd be cool to watch him though.

 

[thinlizzy]

If he continues with the woes then a conditioning stint might be in order. For one it would separate him from Eakins froshing deal for a bit and he might get his mojo back down there. That being said he might, as others have stated, get some bad habits that won't help his D game. That is Nelson's job to ensure this doesn't happen.

At this time Yak hasn't been warranting top 6 minutes so I would bounce him between 2 and 3 depending upon his play. I would give him the options and see what he wants to do and go from there.