The Edmonton Oilers got a bit of good news late last week when big center Bogdan Yakimov returned to the farm from the KHL. After starting the season in Bakersfield, the 6’5” center bolted to the KHL. He only made it into eleven regular season games in Europe’s top league, and then played in four playoff games before his team bowed out of the postseason.
Yakimov is in his second pro season in North America, and there are some expectations for this player. Edmonton took a flier on him in 2013 draft (3rd round, 83rd overall) and then allowed him to develop in the KHL for a season before bringing him over.
There was some serious belief that after a strong camp in fall 2014 and a good showing in the AHL that Yakimov was a legit prospect for Edmonton. He struggled in camp this past fall, however, and was up and down in the AHL before returning home for a stretch. It’s been an odd road for the big center, to say the least.
That all said, Yakimov still is a legit prospect for the Oilers and could very well fit into the NHL plans down the road. When Ryan Nugent-Hopkins got hurt in January, Todd McLellan said that Yakimov would have been the next recall had he still been in the AHL. To me, that showed that the Oilers still value this player and have hopes for him.
In reality, they should still value him. He’s got substantial size, 6’5” and 232 pounds, and he uses that big frame to box other players out and control the puck. He’s not an overly physical player, but he uses his size to make plays, something that is equally as valuable as banging the body around.
In addition to that size, there is some offense to this player. Will he ever be a top six NHL forward? The odds say no, he hasn’t produced enough, but there is enough juice to suggest that he could be a bottom six forward that isn’t an offensive black hole. It’s fair to suggest that he could be a better producer than, say, Anton Lander or Mark Letestu.
Boxcars:
In his first AHL season in OKC last year, Yakimov registered 12-16-28 in 57 games. For a rookie adjusting to the North American style, it was a solid season, especially considering that Yak-2 ran into a bit of injury trouble. This year his production was pretty good through 20 games in Bakersfield, posting 3-5-8. That’s when, out of the blue, he bolted for Russia. 3-1-4 in eleven regular season games and 1-1-2 in four playoff tilts later, Yakimov returned.
There isn’t much time left in the AHL season, but it’s fair to suggest we’ll get another handful of looks at the big center before the final horn sounds on 2015-16. Those boxcars will certainly tell a story, a story we hope is about offensive progression.
Final Thoughts:
The fact that Yakimov was open to returning and actually did return is a good sign for Edmonton. Outside of Anton Slepyshev, the Oilers really don’t have much in the way of forwards bubbling under in Bakersfield. Names like Kyle Platzer and Greg Chase are interesting, but those guys appear to be a few seasons away from cracking the NHL lineup.
Yakimov has the combination of size and skill that could be very valuable to a team like Edmonton in the future. If he’s committed to another year of some AHL action, he could very well find himself in the mix at this time next year, just as Jujhar Khaira has done this season.
The Oilers were in danger of losing a valuable prospect in Yakimov, but have caught a big time break with his return. He’s not going to be a sexy player in the NHL, but he could very well be a strong role player for the club. As the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings have taught us over the years, those players are valuable pieces.
He won’t be a factor in the NHL on opening night 2016, but Yakimov has a chance to push himself into the conversation at some point in the next year. For Edmonton, that would be a welcomed development. This team needs guys like Yakimov and Slepyshev to step up and push for employment.
Welcome back Bogdan, we were hoping for this moment.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
