Nail Yakupov - 3rd liner

[Zorro]

mooooooooooo!

Ohhhhh great, Axe and 27Blue are going to have another barnyard tussle!!

[MXHockey]

Welcome to the KHL.........this isn't going to end well.

[Zorro]

I personally think that Yakupov will get traded before the KHL talk comes up.. He played junior in Canada, he wasn't named to the Olympic team, and he just seems to want to play here in North America..

[Axeman33]

Theres no way Yakupov is even looking at the KHL right now. It drives me nuts that everytime a Russian is having a hard time in NA that everyone assumes they are going to bolt to the KHL.

Some guys may want to go home but I think most of the kids who played their Jr hockey here in NA want to stay in NA and play. This goes for Grigorenko as well.

[doulos]

It's always going to be a concern with any Russian now, and rightfully so. When top players like Kovalchuk, and young guys like Radulov, have all left, it really leaves things wide open.

[Mr. Guru]

Some guys may want to go home but I think most of the kids who played their Jr hockey here in NA want to stay in NA and play. This goes for Grigorenko as well.

This goes for Burmistrov too. Errr, never mind.

[Axeman33]

This goes for Burmistrov too. Errr, never mind.

As I say, MOST of the kids who play their Jr hockey here want to stay here and play in the NHL. There will always be exceptions. I just hate hearing that just because a kid is from Russia that everyone automatically puts the KHL stigma on them.

[doulos]

As I say, MOST of the kids who play their Jr hockey here want to stay here and play in the NHL. There will always be exceptions. I just hate hearing that just because a kid is from Russia that everyone automatically puts the KHL stigma on them.

I used to think the same way, but I think there's just too much evidence out there that anything could happen with these guys.

[Mr. Guru]

As I say, MOST of the kids who play their Jr hockey here want to stay here and play in the NHL. There will always be exceptions. I just hate hearing that just because a kid is from Russia that everyone automatically puts the KHL stigma on them.

Meh, I don't hate it. It's definitely a possibility. Sure there will be Russians who don't want to return home but they carry that risk.

[ds760]

Yakupov will never go to Russia. He's said it before and specifically pointed out he's Muslim. Russia has no tolerance for Muslims.

[Mr. Guru]

Never say never.

Yakupov was chosen in the first round, 19th overall, of the 2010 KHL Draft by Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk. Why draft a Muslim?

[Excelsior]

Yakupov will never go to Russia. He's said it before and specifically pointed out he's Muslim. Russia has no tolerance for Muslims.

Wow did not know that!

[doulos]

Yakupov will never go to Russia. He's said it before and specifically pointed out he's Muslim. Russia has no tolerance for Muslims.

You musty be referring to one of Yakupov's interviews before the draft where he distanced himself from Russia by talking about his Tatar roots, and also mentioned being a Muslim. It was plain as day that he was saying these things to try and make it clear that the 'Russian factor' was not as big a deal for him so that he could be drafted higher.

Trying to state that he'll never return to Russia because of that is an awfully big leap of logic as far as I'm concerned. Big dollars and a meddling agent are awfully powerful forces for a young man.

Now, maybe I'm wrong, and you have some other source where he claims he'll never return to Russia due to being a Muslim (he acknowledged but downplayed his Muslim faith in the interview I read), but if you do I'd be interested in reading it.

[Kabonov]

I hope he gets 3rd line minutes next season, so he forces his agent to requests for a trade.

Dreaming - wish he gets traded to MTL and reunites with Gally SICK! poor kid I feel bad from him.

[doulos]

Use him properly like how? Let him bleed goals even more than he did last season?