Leave Nail Yakupov Alone!

On Monday morning following morning skate before Edmonton’s game against the Montreal Canadiens, forward Nail Yakupov was, for about the 1000th time, asked about his defensive play. His response? He’s had enough, and rightfully so I would say.

When asked about his defensive responsibilities, Nail’s response was simple, “I don’t want to talk about this.” Can anyone blame him? I don’t think so, heck I know that I certainly don’t. This is a guy that has been harassed about his play without the puck since his draft day, and quite frankly it is getting old. Let’s be honest here, this is a young player that gets unfairly criticized because he’s not one of the “Wonder kids” that Edmonton has on their top-line.

You can watch the video of Nail’s response here.

Why This Makes No Sense:

Okay, let’s talk for a second here. What is Nail Yakupov? He’s a former number one overall draft pick, and he’s an offensive player, this is quite simple here. Yakupov is a dynamic offensive player with potential that is through the roof. His shot is one of the best on the team, and he’s a guy that could easily score 30-40 goals in a season when he’s in his prime. He’s a player that has a bomb that can change a power-play’s dynamic too, and has a place on special teams.

He plays hard too, and is willing to throw his body around and gets physically engaged from time to time, which is an added plus. His defense isn’t a strength, it never was and it never will be. He was drafted first overall for a reason, to provide offense and be a difference maker putting points up. He was not drafted to be a defensive specialist.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, this kid’s strength is scoring goals and playing on the power-play. His job is to create offense, and that is why he was drafted as high as he was. Let the kid do his job.

Cut It Out…..Seriously:

It’s been the topic since day one, legit the day he was drafted, it was all about how good could he be defensively. To me, it’s a meaningless debate, because he will never be a defensive stalwart in the NHL. The hope for him was that he would provide offense and just not be a liability, and that’s still the goal to this day.

Yes, Yakupov struggled in a big way last year, and many tough lessons were learned by this young offensive player. We knew he was a massive project without the puck, and any realistic Oiler fan would have told you that the only thing expected in this area of his game was some sort of improvement.

Well listen, there has been improvement. Yes, it’s a small sample size, but Nail Yakupov’s been much more physically engaged this season, and has shown an effort away from the puck that I wish everyone on this team had. He gives a damn, and you can see that every night. He’s worked hard to make sure he gets back on the back-check, and he’s been in the right position far more often this season than last, it’s been refreshing to see to say the least.

Is Nail perfect? No, not by a mile, but there is legit improvement in his defensive game. Of course he still makes mistakes, but so doesn’t Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Taylor Hall. The kid was brought here to put up offense and not be a defensive liability. He’s working towards that, and is putting forth a great effort.

Seriously, lay off this kid. He’s got unreal potential and could easily be an offensive stud that is a major part of the core for the Oilers. I’m sick of everyone teeing off on this guy, just sit back and enjoy a great talent grow up on our beloved hockey team. Every young player needs to learn the lessons, and he is currently doing that. Quit asking the question and move on folks, it’s a non-story.