Nail’s Place

Friday night I went to a friend’s birthday dinner and spent most of it talking hockey and the Oilers with two friends. That’s probably the best part about being a hockey fan. You can talk hockey pretty much anywhere at any time. And yes, I know it can make people feel excluded, and over the last couple of years, I have tried (TRIED) to make sure that doesn’t happen. But Friday night was a large party, so that wasn’t a concern at all!

Nail Yakupov and Teddy Purcell were a couple of the main points of conversation.

I think the Oilers need to use Nail in a different role than he is currently being used. The reason the Oilers have this player on the team is because he has the potential to score a lot goals (30+) someday. And I honestly believe that Yakupov can hit 30. He has an incredible selection of shots, very good hands with the puck, and he has offensive instinct. IF the Oilers combine those skills with the right players, they can have a reliable goal-scorer.

Currently, Yakupov has been playing on a line with Mark Letestu and Zach Kassian. No disrespect to either player, but they are not players that can generate offense out of Nail Yakupov. Yakupov needs players who can hit him with a pass at full speed, and who can stay with him once he gains the zone. Kassian (as decent a complimentary offensive option he is) and Letestu are not those players.

The line of Kassian-Yakupov-Letestu hasn’t looked bad, but obviously hasn’t been a scoring chance machine either. If the Oilers plan is to develop Yakupov into a consistent goal-scorer, is playing him with line-mates that rarely give him those opportunities really useful? I think it’s wasted time trying to use him in that role when he could be getting familiar with skilled players and situations with high scoring chances.

The solution?

I think Yakupov should be moved up onto a line with Hall and Draisaitl. Yeah I know Purcell has complimented that line really well, but I don’t think that he is integral to that line. He is able to keep up with the play, and can dish the puck out to both Hall and Draisaitl, but he could easily be replaced. And replacing him with a one-shot scorer who is faster and has better hands, could make that line even more dangerous.

I don’t think the case for keeping Teddy Purcell on the roster is strong. Purcell will be 31 at the start of next season, and I can see him playing with Hall and Draisaitl again next season, but after that, how much more can we expect from his feet and his hands. He won’t be a viable option long-term. If the Oilers are considering re-signing him, they should consider only a one-year deal. Will Purcell be looking for a one-year deal? Probably not? If he wants more than one year, the Oilers should trade him at the deadline this year. I don’t think Purcell will be able to play on the top line after a year, and at that point The Oilers would be paying him something like 3 million dollars to play on a third line. A line on which he can’t create offense without skilled players. And frankly, I didn’t even like him on the third line this season. He is way too slow to keep up with opposing players. So why create a situation in which you’re forced to play a slower and more expensive option on the third or fourth line.

I think that headache could be avoided by trading him at the deadline this year and playing Yakupov in his spot instead. And if the Oilers really don’t want to play Yakupov on the top two lines, well it doesn’t make sense for him to play in the bottom six. There are better, and cheaper options out there.

Trade Purcell, because he will never have higher value. Play Yakupov in the top six, because right now he is not getting useful opportunities. If the Oilers see Yakupov as a part of the future, at least in the next year, they have to give him better opportunities.