Given he has just come off one of his better performances internationally in a bronze-medal winning game over Canada at the 2013 World Juniors, it may seem preposterous that someone would even broach the subject of the Edmonton Oilers trading Nail Yakupov.
He is also one of the leading candidates to bring home this season’s Calder Trophy.
"We know the skill-set of Nail Yakupov and we're excited. We see his passion and potential to be a great Oiler." – Coach Krueger
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) January 7, 2013
Oilers new bench boss Ralph Krueger is saying the right things. Has Nail given Oilers brass any reasons to suggest trouble may lie ahead?
The Case For Trading Nail
First time I listened to Nail Yakupov speak at 2012WJC, I thought he had major prima donna potential. Haven't changed mind yet.
— Cam Cole (@rcamcole) January 2, 2013
Will Ryan Nugent-Hopkins be to Yakupov what Alex Galchenyuk was during their successful pairing with the Sarnia Sting of the OHL a couple seasons back? Will the Oilers even consider playing the two together now? With Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle embedded as lethal linemates, Yakupov appears to be the odd man out, at least when it comes to playing with the team’s dynamo playmaking centerman.
How will Nail respond in a situation where he may play second fiddle to the already embarrassment of offensive riches in Edmonton? From the outside looking in, there is the potential for him to be a locker room disturber and distraction.
Nugent-Hopkins, Hall and Eberle are all cool, calm and collected young individuals who will lead the Oilers with a more reserved demeanor. The enigmatic Yakupov craves the spotlight and is a much more fiery and unpredictable personality. This could prove to take some of the pressure off the aforementioned three young guns or conversely disrupt team chemistry. At this stage in the development of the team, do the Oilers really want to take a chance that the latter scenario comes to fruition?
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Great line from Soviet great Boris Mikhailov re Nail Yakupov: "Nail's as far removed from Bure as I am from the moon". #Ouch
— Spector's Hockey (@SpectorsHockey) January 2, 2013
The very reason why most might question why to trade him now is precisely the same reason to make the move promptly. Yakupov’s stock may never be higher than it is now.
Nail had a horrendous start to the 2013 World Juniors in Ufa. Though he seemed to be working hard enough, unfortunately it appeared he was aimlessly wondering around the rink, without purpose and accomplishing little. Yakupov was failing to utilize his teammates and trying to do too much on his own.
His immense potential was on display by tournament’s end, however, as he was executing impressing rushes at breathtaking speeds, making creative feeds to linemates and even sacrificing his body in his own end of the rink.
Which version of Yakupov shows up for the majority of his time in the NHL?
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Nail may be one PR disaster away from lowering his stock; GM Steve Tambellini should be shopping him like a Bugatti Veyron Super sports car.
It would be tragic to fall into the situation which former Calgary Flames GM Darryl Sutter was faced with a couple seasons back when he was virtually forced to deal Dion Phaneuf to the Toronto Maple Leafs for what amounted to a dreadful return.
The Case Against Trading Nail
While I think the Oilers would improve their future fortunes by dealing Yakupov before he even suits up for the team, the discussion is definitely not a one-sided coin.
Bruce McCurdy of Edmonton Journal highlighted Yakupov after his bronze medal win at the World Juniors:
“At the end of the day it was Nail Yakupov who was wearing both a Russian flag and a smile one kilometre wide as he accepted the accolades on behalf of his team from Russian hockey great Vladislav Tretiak. For a young man who has appeared troubled at times lately, it was good to see the return of the smile and the cockiness that accompanies it…”
Yes, Yakupov has the potential to be a winger that players like Eberle and Hall are providing secondary support scoring for. Scary to think, I know.
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GM Steve Tambellini, as reported by Joanne Ireland of the National Post, was impressed with Yakupov’s bravado at times during the World Juniors in Ufa, Russia:
“Ryan is so poised and so under control with everything he does. Yak is trying to lead by example. To see him dive face first to block a shot, doing what he thinks he has to do to contribute to the team’s success. Sometimes it’s an emotional decision; sometimes it’s a hockey decision. We know he is offensively gifted but he’s definitely willing to sacrifice his body if it’s going to help. He wants to score so badly, you can see that, but he’s still trying to contribute.”
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David Staples of Edmonton Journal makes some good points as well:
“Yakupov is a big talent with a big personality. I like both aspects of him. And I don’t think he’ll be too much of an issue in Edmonton, even if he does go his own way now and then. On the Oilers, he won’t be the most talented player, he’ll be one of the talented players. I suspect he’ll find a way to fit in. He will have to do so because nobody is going to bow down to the guy. He’s a great player, but not the first one here, and not the only one here.”
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On being a team player, courtesy of Andrey Osadchenko at Oilers Nation in the post “Nail Yaupov in his own words”:
“I’m not the kind of guy who doesn’t care where his team is in the standings. I’m not the one who thinks: ‘So I’m on the team… whatever. The way it plays, doesn’t affect my pay-cheque’. I always set my bar high. I want to be a top-6 forward. I want to score, I want to get assists and I want to win. I don’t care what team I’m on. Every team has a potential. Every team has good players and coaches. Any team can lose. Every team can win.”
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Keeping Nail gives the Oilers countless offensive weapons at their disposal; Tambellini can’t possibly deal Nail now, can he?
Even with some convincing arguments against dealing Yakupov now, I strongly feel if the right offer presented itself, Tambellini and the Oilers should pull the trigger lickity split.
Potential Trade Partners
This is section is not intended to generate trade rumours. Rather, I wanted to highlight some NHL teams who might covet an asset like Nail Yakupov and at the same time be in a position to trade with the Oilers.
A blueliner, or package including a blueliner seems like the logical priority for return, but the Oilers might look at solidifying other aspects of their roster as well, should they make such a bold move.
Make no mistake, I feel it is in the best interest of the Oilers to pursue a deal involving Yakupov, but the potential deal has to have a meaningful return.
The following are several teams that might be potential trade talk partners for the Oilers, with one not likely – I’ll let you make that determination for yourself.
- Toronto Maple Leafs: They have the depth on the blueline and could use a potential scoring star. Dare I say a return to his “native land” would be beneficial for Dion Phaneuf? Jake Gardiner would be a desirable target and option, but not sure how keen the Leafs would be to part with his services.
- Montreal Canadiens: There have been suggestions from a variety of sources that still unsigned RFA blueliner PK Subban might be legitimate target for the Oilers and dangling Nail may land him. Given his previous history and chemistry with Alex Galcheyuk, the move would seem to make sense for GM Marc Bergevin, but would leave a gaping hole on the blueline.
- Winnipeg Jets: The Jets could use a true game-breaking forward. They have the talent on the blueline that could attract GM Steve Tambellini’s attention – Dustin Byfulglien, Zach Bogosian, Tobias Enstrom and Team USA stalwart Jacob Trouba.
- Pittsburgh Penguins: This would admittedly be a long shot, but Penguins GM Ray Shero is constantly looking to improve his squad. The Pens have a plethora of high quality defensive prospects, many of which are close to making an impact at the NHL level. Evgeni Malkin could be Yakupov’s guide to the NHL off the ice, with Sidney Crosby being his guide on the ice.
- Washington Capitals: potential one-sided phone call:
- Steve Tambellini: “George: I got this explosive, immensely talented Russian forward that is sure to put your team over the top!” After a clicking noise, “George? George? Are you still there?”
Edmonton Journal’s David Staple’s well thought out retort here: http://blogs.edmontonjournal.com/2013/01/11/trade-nail-yakupov-not-if-you-want-to-win-a-stanley-cup/.
yes Yakupov will be a Phaneuf type situation sigh. This writer has no clue about the Oilers or Yakupov. Future rocket richard winner chris Ralph hack hall of fame.
I’d do that trade for PK Subban, especially now that Edmonton is positioning itself as a mid-market club. A lot harder to develop defence and they have more than enough firepower up front.
I still think it’s a good move in theory. Maybe it’s a few years down the road, and maybe it’s one of the other forwards instead of Yakupov. The point stands though, that Edmonton needs to parlay some of their offensive talents into defensive support.
I find it amusing that after years of enduring endless crap & abuse from the rest of the league, suddenly everybody’s an expert on what the Oil should be doing with their young guns. All of the arguments here for trading Yak are the hockey equivalent of debating how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. The only thing this “article” convinced me of, is that Christopher Ralph doesn’t have a clue what he’s talking about.
Buhahahahahaha. Seriously – you want to talk about trading the number one pick before he’s even put on the jersey? Wow – article ideas must be running thin.
Ralph? Ralph? Yer killing me. Nope Octopus speaks for me.
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http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_medvonQcSt1raj3n6.gif
This team will need some proven veterans to get them over the hump, he could be just the perfect piece to make that deal! Just not to the Eastern Conference please!
To clarify some inquiries and clear the air, I am in no way “predicting” a Yakupov trade. This was meant to highlight a move that could really set the Oilers ahead in their developmental curve. The abundance of young guns up front give the Oilers a unique situation to be in a position to even consider dealing a talent like Nail. Will it happen before the puck drop this season? Extremely unlikely. Nail is an unusual prospect – a wildcard potential dynamite player; hopefully it won’t be the case and he doesn’t go the other way and “blow up” the budding dressing room chemistry on the youthful squad.
Q:What is the problem every single year for virtually all teams?
A: A lack of scoring.
You don’t win games unless you score goals. Get scored on? Everything can be fixed with more goals more goals more goals.
The Oilers need all the offensive power they can keep especially considering players get hot/cold that way they can have a better opportunity at a stable offense.
Trade him for established supporting cast. Edmonton can’t win with a handful of superstars and a roster of subpar players.
What’s the investment philosophy? Buy low, sell high? As soon as Yakupov is a known NHL quantity, it’d be foolish not to at least listen to offers.
From Edmonton’s standpoint, I would rather see a season or two play out before moving him. I do believe though that Edmonton should look to move one of their forwards (since they have so much talent up front) for another d-man or goaltender at some point in the not so distant future.
i saw him play in the WJC’s….hes got talent…very slick player..edmonton is pretty loaded
Great Read. The trade with the Habs is intriguing. As a Hab fan I don’t want to lose Subban but re-uniting Galchenyuk and Yakupov sounds interesting. Let the season begin!
Let the guy work out the kinks during the ELC period then trade him if it looks like he is not maturing.
Too much of a shock to the system too soon. Don’t upset the apple cart like this when the results aren’t even clear yet. Yakupov won’t lose too much value so soon that it becomes ‘now or never’ situation. If the Oilers want to move Magnus Svensson-Paajarvi for a little defensive help or goaltending help, whichever, then that’s one thing. Trading Yakupov at this point seems rushed. Milbury-esque. If they didn’t want Yakupov, I’m sure there were plenty of takers for the #1 overall pick last year, that would have been the time to make the move.
When he wants a 10 mil contract we can trade him for a defenceman only commanding 6… and maybe some picks and future.
I’d rather let him play out his ELC here.
agree, no point in trading him while hes still cheap labor
I do agree that Tambo would be putting himself in difficult situation to make a deal at this point. I’m just of the opinion that for the better of the team, to evolve them to the team they want to be sooner, trading him now would be the right move. Call it a gut call on my part. The Oilers will indeed be an extremely exciting team to watch this season and can’t wait to see how it all plays out. Also really intrigued to see what dynamic Yak brings – on and off the ice.
I always thought trading the 1st pick would have been a better choice based on the depth of superstar forwards Edmonton has. But thinking of it, letting him play and trading one of the big forwards would probably bring back more value.
As much sense as it could make to move Nail, I can’t see any scenario in which Tambo would be willing to face down the media and fan-based firestorms that would surely come blasting at him if he were to pull the trigger on a deal. Even if the return was a guy like PK Subban, I don’t think there’d be a lot of understanding of the reasoning behind someone that you drafted first overall last year, and even before he has played an NHL game at that. If Yakupov would go on to become a superstar in this league, I think this would replace the Gretzky trade in terms of most hated trades in Oiler history.
I thought Yakupov’s compete level was pretty good, but the system Russia played just didn’t fit him very well, IMO. Also he spent surprisingly a lot of time on the PK (he was okeyish there I guess, won some important faceoffs). In the KHL he looked quite more natural and not out of place in terms of chemistry, he didn’t try to do too much like at the WJC, and his KHL production challenges and sometimes exceeds that of Ovechkin, Malkin, Tarasenko, Kuznetsov and Cherepanov at the same age. His CHL production also challenges a lot of great players (100+ pts a year before his draft year doesn’t happen very often). After the WJC people started to throw Afiinogenov comparisons but Nail possesses qualities that hold Maxim back from being more successful, those are: shot and physical strength. At the end Nail still was the top point getter on that fairly low scoring team and lead Russia to the bronze over extremely stacked team Canada.