I hate Yakupov. Do you?

[Doug Glatt]

I dont know the guy personally. But I see so many people just losing their minds over the guy, giving up really good players in trades for him.

Why?

He is a showboater, and has no work ethic, from what I have read. He scores a goal and then acts like he just cured cancer or invented the internet.

When I look at him, I see a guy who feels entitled. I cant shake the feeling that he's going to be an All-Star in 3 years...in the KHL.

When his ELC is up after next year, I see him holding out for a Hall/RNH/Eberle type of deal that he has done nothing whatsoever to justify. I see him heading back to the KHL for his holdout, then getting some ridiculous contract from one of the big clubs like CSKA for 10 years and a billion rubles or something.

I think the very best case scenario for him is Semin. I think the far more likely outcome is Zherdev, Radulov or Kovy, as in playing in Russia because its easy instead of doing the hard work he needs to be a star in North America.

If the rumors are true and the Oilers are shopping the shit out of him trying to get help at D and G, isn't that a major red flag? Shouldn't people be worried about his future production if a bad team like the oilers are already giving up on him?

Thoughts? I feel like I'm the only one around here who is out on this limb.

[Call of Doughty]

He is a showboater

What would ever give you that impression?

[PensInThree]

The Oilers are a shit-show right now. No real team system, tons of injuries, poor team D, shoddy goaltending.

The Oilers are shopping him because they've got a surplus of talented young forwards. They are also shopping him because they have holes in the bottom 6, holes on D, and holes in goal. Lots of those. We've been saying forever that the Oil need to move one of these guys in order to build a team. They have the other three locked up to comparable Ks for around the same time. Their real window will be, imo, the last three years of those deals.

That is not to say they won't be a contender thereafter. It's only to say that those contracts are going to allow the Oil to potentially build a strong team at that time.

There are a whole bunch of reasons why Yak is being shopped that have, imo, little to do with his play.

From what I've seen watching games, he tries to do too much. He doesn't have high hockey IQ, and hasn't learned how to play positional D at the NHL level. He's got a great shot, elite acceleration, and plays with a ton of passion. He plays a lot like Taylor Hall. But they've got a Hall already, so it makes sense to shop him.


For what it's worth, I think your judgment is hasty, and doesn't take into account the context. That's my take anyway.

[Ryanmccor]

Agree completely with PensInThree. He's stuck behind a logjam of other young scorers in edmonton, just like Omark and Paajarvi and Cogliano were. If the rumors come true and he goes to the Rangers or Philly or NJ or buffalo, he instantly becomes one of their top offensive threats, gets tons of power play time, and has coaches telling him to SCORE rather than block shots. Then again, Doug may be right and he'll bolt to the KHL. It's a gamble, but isn't that what hockey pools are all about? It was only a year and a half ago when almost every pro scout on the planet ranked him #1 on their draft lists, and since he's seriously sucking this year, now's your chance to buy low.

[Rodgort]

He has said plenty of times he does not want to go to the KHL.

I like him, has a real passion for the game. As for his "showboating" good on him, I know I don't want everyone acting like robots when they score.

The Oilers are a mess, so don't judge him too harshly and read what everyone says negatively about him. Just wait until he finds his groove... and hopefully that the oilers trade him away so he can become better haha

[Dennis4022]

wait, Yakupov did not invent the internet?

[gfhyde]

This thread should have been a poll with both answers being "Yes".

[doulos]

I love the hate. Just wait to see how much you hate him if the Oilers ever become a decent team. He's going to make everyone hate him more and it will be glorious.

[gfhyde]

I love the hate. Just wait to see how much you hate him if the Oilers ever become a decent team. He's going to make everyone hate him more and it will be glorious.

You must be a serious Edmonton fan

I think it'll happen. They'll be great at some point. But right now everyone hates the hell out of em!

[Axeman33]

Not exactly sure why you would hate Yakupov so much.

Personally, as an Oilers fan, I have a bigger hate on for Dallas Eakins more then any of the players. He has come in and took a franchise on the way up and turned it upside down to the point it's going backwards again.

I wonder if Ralph Krueger is working these days??

[doulos]

You must be a serious Edmonton fan

I think it'll happen. They'll be great at some point. But right now everyone hates the hell out of em!

That's just it. So many people hate this team and its players and they pose zero threat to actually win games. What's it going to be like if they ever do start becoming a team that scores goals, wins games, and celebrates. There will be people who won't be able to get out of bed in the morning because they are so sad and/or angry. It's going to be so much fun.

[blayze]

Love how people make all these bold assumptions about the character of a 20 year old kid without personally knowing him or being in that locker room.

I wonder what we were all like when we were 20...

[gfhyde]

Love how people make all these bold assumptions about the character of a 20 year old kid without personally knowing him or being in that locker room.

I wonder what we were all like when we were 20...

Was that just your 9000th post?

[SeaDawg]

if your reason to hate Yakupov is because, as a 20 year old, he is having trouble adjusting to the NHL while playing on the worse team in the league, then so be it.

Personally, I'd rather hate Pat Kane for beating up a cab driver over 25 cents...

Or Varlamov for allegedly beating his girl friend (or Brodeur, Mario Lemieux, or Patrik Roy instead)

Or Brad Marchand for being a dirty player...

Or Radulov for not honoring his NHL contract...


but that's just me

[theIceWookie]

Not exactly sure why you would hate Yakupov so much.

Personally, as an Oilers fan, I have a bigger hate on for Dallas Eakins more then any of the players. He has come in and took a franchise on the way up and turned it upside down to the point it's going backwards again.

I wonder if Ralph Krueger is working these days??

I almost feel bad for Oiler fans. Almost.

They haven't shown much improvement over the years, even offensively. Still they toil near the bottom, talking about improvement soon...it's gotta suck.

But this is a reason I am ardently against so called "proper" rebuilds. Tanking is never the answer. It's never actually been shown to work. Teams that do it tank for years, struggling through constantly trading veterans, having at least one high profile player bust, and it almost always takes years longer than anyone suspected or said.

And even the teams that apparently used this model to win, like chicago or LA or Pittsburgh, really didn't. Upon closer inspection, it was once they realzied it wasn't working and they took more drastic measures that they turned it around (Pittsburgh might be the exception but they grabbed Crosby and Malkin in successive years. That's just not normal. And even still they made plays for Hossa, trading Whitney for Kunitz plus, signed guys like Gonchar).

Drafting high certainly helps, but when a team focusing on just doing that for years on end? It's not as effective as one might think. YOu need to surround young players with older veteran stars that can protect them and teach them as they grow. That's why you saw teams like Chicago signing guys like Hossa and Campbell to stupidly long deals. They finally understood that this was what it took to win.

The best rebuilding teams spend a minimal amount of time at the bottom of the standings