Yakupov - the next Filatov/Radulov or not?

[mister_mcgoo]

I could say that Yakupov doesn't seem to be a little whiney bitch like Radulov and Filatov and that he says all the right things in his interviews, but that really means nothing (even if it is true). Especially now, Russian players are told exactly what to say to help their draft ranking. Even if they fully intend on playing in the KHL, they will never say anything to mess their chances of being a high NHL draft pick. That only strengthens their leverage when negotiating a KHL contract.

But the main reason why I think Yakupov will play in the NHL is because he is very, very good. I know I said that before and you didn't like that answer, but that is really the best way to assess the situation, imo. What I mean is Yakupov won't F**K up his chance to play in the NHL like Radulov and Filatov did. I know neither of them played a lot in the NHL, but Yakupov will simply destroy the competition and bring fans out of their seats. He will score over 75 pts in his rookie season and threaten 40 goals, regardless of what team drafts him. He will do what Radulov and Filatov could never do, which is 'earn' playing time and respect from his coach. Filatov and Radulov wanted recognition and to be treated like superstars even before they deserved it. Yakupov will be a superstar from the first time he steps on the ice and he will be treated that way, so he won't want to leave for Russia.

Again though, I recall Filatov saying all the right things in interviews too, that means jack shit, you hit the nail on the head though, that's what their agent tells them to say to maximize their draft/contract value.

75 pt rookie season though? You realize how rare that is right? And 'regardless of what team drafts him'? wtf? And you realize that it often takes a perfect storm of opportunity for that even to be possible? Look at Stamkos or Giroux in their rookie years, they didn't hit anywhere near 75 pts because they weren't entering a situation where they were going to get top 6 mins and top PP time to produce at that level. Succeeding at the NHL level is not just about talent, every guy drafted in the first round has sick talent, its about so much more than that, its hard work, improving your game, adding strength/size, impressing the coach, making the most of limited opportunities, 2-way play, etc, etc. Were we betting on this, I would take your money in a heartbeat, not because he's not capable of 75 pts but simply because the odds would be drastically in my favor.

You've still presented no compelling reason why he's going to be different, can anyone else chime in?

I think TheRook has made the best point so far, that his experience on the Sting bodes well for being initiated into NA hockey and learning our game as well as improving English and working with coaches, etc.

[Big Ev]

@McGoo because you seemed to of heard what you wanted to hear 2 points were stated that were different from "I think he looks good"

1) He currently plays in NA instead of waiting to be drafted first and then coming over. Already a sign that he will better adapt to playing in the NHL than filatov/radulov

2) He's being touted as the #1 overall hands down by NHL scouts (or at least 2nd overall in a Tyler/Taylor scenario) while neither Filatov (Stamkos/Doughty were undoubtedly going before him) or Radulov (Ovechkin/Malkin were undoubtedly going before him) were that high of prospects.

Don't agree with the second part, because if Malkin and Ovechkin were in this draft, they would be going ahead of Yakupov. Stamkos as well.

Also it's unclear if he is touted as #1 by all NHL scouts. There will always be scouts who prefer somebody else.

[Big Ev]

I wouldn't go that far...Yakupov was a well-known prospect before he came to the CHL. I drafted him in one of my leagues two years before he joined Sarnia. Mind you, I had never seen him play before he came to Sarnia, but his name was definitely out there along with Grigorenko, Galchenyuk, Frk, and Murray as contenders for first overall a good three years before his draft.

He still wasn't taken 1st in the Import Draft, and if he was expected to be 1st overall and this good, his KHL parent team would have not let him get away IMO. My point is that he has exceeded expectations so far.

[mister_mcgoo]

@McGoo because you seemed to of heard what you wanted to hear 2 points were stated that were different from "I think he looks good"

1) He currently plays in NA instead of waiting to be drafted first and then coming over. Already a sign that he will better adapt to playing in the NHL than filatov/radulov

2) He's being touted as the #1 overall hands down by NHL scouts (or at least 2nd overall in a Tyler/Taylor scenario) while neither Filatov (Stamkos/Doughty were undoubtedly going before him) or Radulov (Ovechkin/Malkin were undoubtedly going before him) were that high of prospects.

wtf are you talking about dude 'heard what I wanted to hear'? When a reply is made to a specific user then it is responding specifically to THEIR comments, not to the thread as a whole. I figured you woulda figured that out by now. I agree TheRook has made the best argument thusfar, that's why I posted the thread in the first place, I'm looking for input for either side of the argument, I have no bias one way or the other. Instead of being a smartass and regurgitating other people's thoughts why not post something original from your own brain?

[SeaDawg]

75 pt rookie season though? You realize how rare that is right? And 'regardless of what team drafts him'? wtf? And you realize that it often takes a perfect storm of opportunity for that even to be possible? Look at Stamkos or Giroux in their rookie years, they didn't hit anywhere near 75 pts because they weren't entering a situation where they were going to get top 6 mins and top PP time to produce at that level. Succeeding at the NHL level is not just about talent, every guy drafted in the first round has sick talent, its about so much more than that, its hard work, improving your game, adding strength/size, impressing the coach, making the most of limited opportunities, 2-way play, etc, etc. Were we betting on this, I would take your money in a heartbeat, not because he's not capable of 75 pts but simply because the odds would be drastically in my favor.

But he is better than Giroux and Stamkos were at the same age. Giroux is one of my fav players and always has been, but he needed to grow a bit and build some confidence. That is why he didn't dominate in his rookie year. Plus, let's face it, a team as deep as Philly was when they drafted Giroux will not draft Yakupov.

Stamkos just needed one year to really mesh with St. Louis. Stamkos, as good as he is, is a shooter first and needs to player with an elite talent to really excel.

Yakupov will generate opportunities all on his own. And whichever team drafts him will not have two or three or four players ahead of him on the depth chart. Yakupov will immediately be the best player on whatever team drafts him.

[jeffl97]

wtf are you talking about dude 'heard what I wanted to hear'? When a reply is made to a specific user then it is responding specifically to THEIR comments, not to the thread as a whole. I figured you woulda figured that out by now. I agree TheRook has made the best argument thusfar, that's why I posted the thread in the first place, I'm looking for input for either side of the argument, I have no bias one way or the other. Instead of being a smartass and regurgitating other people's thoughts why not post something original from your own brain?

You create a thread for discussion, completely overlook anyone's discussion and then result to childish remarks. Cool stuff man.

[SeaDawg]

He still wasn't taken 1st in the Import Draft, and if he was expected to be 1st overall and this good, his KHL parent team would have not let him get away IMO. My point is that he has exceeded expectations so far.

all true, but I just wanted to make it clear that he was definitely in the discussion as a possible top 5 candidate for the 2012 draft. Going back to 2009 or so, the talk was all about Grigorenko coming out of Russia, but there were rumors even back then that this Yakupov kid might be even better. Not everyone had heard of him, but he definitely did not come out of nowhere, even if he has exceeded expectations since coming to the CHL.

[Big Ev]

Yakupov will generate opportunities all on his own. And whichever team drafts him will not have two or three or four players ahead of him on the depth chart. Yakupov will immediately be the best player on whatever team drafts him.

Right now, he would not be the best player on the three worst teams in the league (ANA, CBJ, and NYI), IMO.

[TheRook]

I remember reading this article a while back about the 'russian factor' and Yakupov.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puc...rn=nhl-wp15952

From the Article.......

According to Bob McKenzie:

"I think the so-called 'Russian Factor' is probably a little less prevalent with the first overall pick. Especially if that first overall pick is clearly the best guy. Seven out of ten scouts that I surveyed said he is clearly the number one guy. As long as a player doesn't send off any bad signals like he doesn't want to play in the NHL. Or 'I don't want to play for this team. I don't want to play for that team.' As long as there are no negative vibrations coming from the player, and, usually, if the first overall guy is clearly better than the next guy, then that whole 'Russian Factor' is probably less of a factor," he said.
"I would think the Russian factor would probably be a bigger consideration for a guy like [Mikhail] Grigorenko, even though he is here playing. Because the difference between Grigorenko and [Filip] Forsberg, or Grigorenko and the big Canadian or big American defensemen who are available this year, that difference may not be so great. So that's where teams may say 'Do we take a Russian center who, if things don't go well, might go back to the KHL. Or do we take Forsberg or someone else.'

"Whereas if you're picking first overall and your scouts say Yakupov is by far the best player available, then you're going to be less concerned about the Russian thing."

[mister_mcgoo]

You create a thread for discussion, completely overlook anyone's discussion and then result to childish remarks. Cool stuff man.

no asswipe, I create a thread for discussion and then get into an exchange with a specific member trying to tease out specifically why he is so bullish on the guy. I'm in the process of reading thru each reply and responding in kind, I'm sorry if I'm not typing fast enough for you...I've actually already I applauded TheRook's comment, twice in fact... so what the **** is your problem? If you want to be a part of the discussion and share your thoughts then lets hear it, but if you're just here to be a shithead then piss off m'k?

[jeffl97]

no asswipe, I create a thread for discussion and then get into an exchange with a specific member trying to tease out specifically why he is so bullish on the guy. I'm in the process of reading thru each reply and responding in kind, I'm sorry if I'm not typing fast enough for you...I've actually already I applauded TheRook's comment, twice in fact... so what the **** is your problem? If you want to be a part of the discussion and share your thoughts then lets hear it, but if you're just here to be a shithead then piss off m'k?

You really have some issues.

[SeaDawg]

Right now, he would not be the best player on the three worst teams in the league (ANA, CBJ, and NYI), IMO.

well, not Anaheim. I will give you that. Perry and Getzlaf are better than Yakupov right now. But I do believe that he is already better than Nash, Carter, Tavares, etc.

I know that might sound crazy, but would anyone think it was completely BS if someone thought RNH was better than Nash, Carter, or Tavares right now? It might be a bit far-fetched to some, but not completely insane to say that. And for the record I think Yakupov is better than RNH.

[mister_mcgoo]

I remember reading this article a while back about the 'russian factor' and Yakupov.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puc...rn=nhl-wp15952

From the Article.......

According to Bob McKenzie:

"I think the so-called 'Russian Factor' is probably a little less prevalent with the first overall pick. Especially if that first overall pick is clearly the best guy. Seven out of ten scouts that I surveyed said he is clearly the number one guy. As long as a player doesn't send off any bad signals like he doesn't want to play in the NHL. Or 'I don't want to play for this team. I don't want to play for that team.' As long as there are no negative vibrations coming from the player, and, usually, if the first overall guy is clearly better than the next guy, then that whole 'Russian Factor' is probably less of a factor," he said.
"I would think the Russian factor would probably be a bigger consideration for a guy like [Mikhail] Grigorenko, even though he is here playing. Because the difference between Grigorenko and [Filip] Forsberg, or Grigorenko and the big Canadian or big American defensemen who are available this year, that difference may not be so great. So that's where teams may say 'Do we take a Russian center who, if things don't go well, might go back to the KHL. Or do we take Forsberg or someone else.'

"Whereas if you're picking first overall and your scouts say Yakupov is by far the best player available, then you're going to be less concerned about the Russian thing."

hmmmm yeah that's a good point, if he is truly head and shoulders above the rest of the pack then it makes that first pick more of a no brainer...it also makes the team who does draft him far more likely to make sure he turns into a valuable piece of their team, if for no other reason then the fact that if you mess up a talented 1st overall you're likely going to be out of a job.

I was under the impression that Grigorenko was closer to Yakupov than what I'm hearing though, I swear I read an article months ago where they were more of a Hall-Seguin type scenario

[mister_mcgoo]

You really have some issues.

I reiterate...if you want to be part of the discussion and actually contribute something aside from other people's thoughts then have at it, otherwise piss off

[TheRook]

I've actually already I applauded TheRook's comment, twice in fact...

your starting to make me sound smart, lets not. I have a reputation to uphold.