Backing Up Dreger? Yes, Yes I am

There is a lot of venom in Oil Country towards NHL insider Darren Dreger following his comments Thursday night regarding Oilers forward Nail Yakupov. Dreger blasted Nail for a lack of effort, and claimed that he would not be back with the team next season. In typical Oilers fan fashion, everyone and their dog flipped out on the that possibility of one of the “golden boys” could get moved.

I’m backing up Dreger here however, moving Yakupov might not be the worst move in the world. Now, as for the effort comments, I have no inside knowledge and can’t say either way. Eye test tells me the effort is there however, and that Dreger might have gone a little too far with that comment. I tend to agree with moving the young Russian however.

Nail Yakupov is a natural goal scorer, and is going to be a great player at the NHL level, I have little doubt of that to be honest. That being said, the Oilers need different kinds of players. Like them or not, Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins are not going anywhere, and rightfully so. Jordan Eberle? Management loves the kid, and he is a good player. That’s three smallish forwards in the top-six already.

Factor in the return of David Perron, and it is clear the Oilers will need a different kind of player in their top-six. Sam Gagner is almost certainly going to be moved, and it is very likely a bigger player takes his spot there, but the team will still be lacking a natural power-forward in the line-up. That could be Yakupov’s spot.

The Oilers also haven’t exactly given Yakupov the best set of circumstances to work with. He’s dealt with third, and even fourth line, minutes this season, and has been unfairly punished for mistakes while others get away with much, much worse offenses (cough cough Jordan Eberle). He is just now getting consistent top-six ice time, but he’s production is not very good.

Yakupov has totally fallen off a cliff after a solid rookie campaign, and one has to wonder if maybe he isn’t a fit in the Dallas Eakins/Craig MacTavish era that Edmonton has now entered. If that is the case, it is best to move on from the young forward. It could be best for both sides.

A team like Edmonton has a ton of holes on their roster, mainly on the back-end. Edmonton does not have a single top-pairing, NHL defender on it’s roster, and is letting guys like Phil Larsen and Mark Fraser take actual NHL shifts. Not a great idea. The team badly needs help in that area, and it’s highly likely that comes through trade.

Nail Yakupov has struggled this season yes, but he is a tremendous talent, and still holds value around the NHL. The Fourth Period reported on multiple occasions that teams have shown interest in Yakupov and contacted MacTavish. If Edmonton can get a piece that fills a hole, moving Yakupov isn’t the worst thing for this team.

Now I know a lot of you will say he’s only in his second year, and that’s exactly true. That said, it is becoming clear to me that, for whatever reason, Yakupov does not fit in with the Edmonton Oilers and their plan moving forward. Change will have to occur for this team to improve, and Yakupov might very well be part of that.

I do believe that Nail Yakupov will be a very good NHL goal scorer, but I do not think it will come in Edmonton. There are too many factors against him with this club in my mind, and I beleive a trade is best for both sides. Yakupov could very well be part of a package that brings Edmonton something very valuable, and that is too good to pass up.

I’m not saying deal Yakupov for picks or prospects, but I’m saying deal this guy for a defender that can handle top-pairing minutes. Judging from MacT’s pre-deadline comments regarding ‘hockey trades’, I don’t think it’s totally out of the question.

I would not be surprised if we saw the Oilers finally take the advice of everyone and change the mix of the roster, moving both Yakupov and Sam Gagner, and bringing in bigger players and defenders. It seems logical if you ask me.