Blues fans have been begging Ken Hitchcock to free Nail Yakupov for a majority of the season. Yakupov, who the Blues acquired near the start of the season, hasn’t seen too much playing time and has been placed on the lower lines where the chances for success are relatively low for a player of his style. Meanwhile, other players (looking at you, Jori Lehtera) have been allowed to keep a spot in the lineup and on a top line despite dismal results.
Following the Blues’ win against the Dallas Stars, Hitchcock spoke about Yakupov who skated through that game with Paul Stastny and Alexander Steen.
Hitch said he liked the way Yakupov played with Steen and Stastny and will keep that line together. Jaskin was a healthy scratch. #stlblues
— Lou Korac (@lkorac10) January 8, 2017
The trio of Yakupov, Steen and Stastny looked pretty good against the Stars. Yakupov’s speed came in handy numerous times and he came extremely close to springing both Steen and Stastny for some high quality chances. One included a nifty hoisted pass which almost caught the Stars in a 2-on-o hole.
The Blues have to give Yakupov a realistic chance. They’ve used him sparingly and most of those opportunities have been on lines where he didn’t fit. If that sounds familiar, that’s exactly what the Blues did with Ty Rattie. Rattie was overhyped, but the Blues really didn’t handle the situation well. So far, history has mostly repeated itself in the case of Yakupov who is actually a more exciting talent than Rattie.
Hitchcock tends to change his mind pretty often, so it’ll be interesting to see just how long Yakupov keeps a spot in the lineup.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
