Bogdan Yakimov has once again been loaned by the Edmonton Oilers to the KHL club HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk. The team officially announced the move, Yakimov’s second to trip to Russia in less than a year, back on Wednesday afternoon.
The #Oilers have loaned forward Bogdan Yakimov to HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) July 27, 2016
The move came as a bit of surprise to this observer, mainly because Yakimov had already returned from a short stint in the KHL. It appeared that Yak-2 was ready to return to North America and continue his quest toward NHL employment. Clearly that was not the case.
The 6’5”, 232 pound center had a tremendous training camp back in 2014 and emerged as one of Edmonton’s better forward prospects. He followed that up by making his NHL debut early in 2014-15, appearing in one tilt in Los Angeles in October. After that, Yakimov posted 12-16-28 in 57 games for the Oklahoma City Barons.
There was a sense that Yakimov, after a decent rookie year in the AHL, was going to push for NHL employment in 2015-16. That didn’t happen, as Yak-2 struggled mightily in camp and saw his offensive numbers go down to 5-10-15 in 36 AHL games. He also spent eleven games in the KHL midway through the year, where he recorded 3-1-4.
What Now For Edmonton?:
The Oilers are set, for now, down the middle at the NHL level. Connor McDavid is a franchise level center while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is a proven two-way center that can handle a top-six role. Leon Draisaitl isn’t as proven, but the big and skilled youngster should definitely be a threat down the middle for a long time in this league.
Plug in Mark Letestu on the forth line, and you have four established NHL centers on your roster. There is no room for Yakimov at this time. However, as we all know, things change and injuries happen in the NHL. You need depth, and the Oilers just lost a young pivot who may have had a future in the organization.
With Yakimov’s departure, where does this leave the Oilers at the center position in the pipeline?
Lots of talk about Drake Caggiula. Don’t be surprised if he gets a look at Center at some point this season. Was impressive at Dev. Camp
— Bob Stauffer (@Bob_Stauffer) July 15, 2016
Drake Caggiula is mostly known as a winger, but there have been rumblings about him taking a job down the middle as a professional. I wouldn’t count on it lasting, but it’s clearly something that the Oilers are thinking about. With Yakimov now out of the system, the odds of Caggiula shifting to center increase.
Kyle Platzer was a rookie last year, and although he didn’t shine offensively, he should get a bigger role this season. Platzer is a two-way center and if he makes the NHL, I’d expect him to turn out like Kyle Brodziak did many moons ago.
Greg Chase is also an option for Edmonton, but he’s a little ways a way. Chase played primarily in the ECHL last season, but he did dominate at the level. Realistically we should hope he establishes himself as an AHL’er this season. It’s also likely that he shifts to the wing.
Safe to say that Edmonton’s already weak AHL group of prospect centers took another hit this week. It’ll be interesting to see if Peter Chiarelli addresses this in any way moving forward.
Yakimov’s Final Farewell?:
To be honest with you, I think we have seen the last of Yakimov as an Edmonton Oiler. He didn’t progress in year two as a North American pro, and he’s now bolted to Russia twice in the span of a single year. It appears that Yakimov is content with playing in the KHL.
I can’t see the Oilers bringing him back for 2017-18 if he doesn’t see a massive spike in his numbers. He didn’t post eye-popping numbers during his return to Russia last year, and it’s safe to wonder if Edmonton wants to deal with the headache of all these transfers for a player that may never pan out.
My only concern with this situation moving forward? What kind of an impact will it have on Anton Slepyshev? If Slepyshev doesn’t progress in year two, will he follow suit next summer? An interesting item to consider.
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