As an Oiler fan I am betting that the Oilers regret this trade. So many spurts where Yak looked to be coming into his own. But losing has a way of stunting growth. Yak with Roy was special. Yak in his first season looked great. Kid tried a little bit too hard to do things he wasn't good at. And that's why I think his offence never stayed consistent.
It's not even that IMO, and I'm a big Yak fan. The kid flat out needs some friends. He said as much. He's lonely and it sucks. It didn't help that he comes into Edmonton as a quiet, very religious young man, who doesn't drink or do drugs, when the main core of the team were his age but loved to party. And even when it comes to other religious players, Nail still has a bit of a bridge to gap, seeing as he's one of very few Muslims in the league. It seemed like to me the only two players Yak really had any kind of friendship with on the Oilers was Roy and Hendricks. Roy was the only person I had ever seen him out with in public. More often than not, he would be walking around places like the Kingsway Mall all by himself.
If he makes a few friends in Saint Louis and gets comfortable with the people he's with. The sky is the limit with the kid.
