Well…that was an eventful Friday night now wasn’t it? Two nights ago, the Edmonton Oilers dealt Nail Yakupov to St. Louis in exchange for a prospect and a conditional draft choice. The selection, which is now a 2017 3rd rounder, can turn to a 2018 2nd round pick if Yakupov scores 15 goals in 2016-17. There’s a chance that does in fact happen.
#Oilers acquire 2017 conditional third-round #NHLDraft selection & Zach Pochiro from @StLouisBlues in exchange for Nail Yakupov.
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) October 7, 2016
A lot of people are upset about this trade, but I’m not one of them. I like Nail Yakupov, I really do. The kid works his tail off and he’s a really likable human being. Problem is, he really wasn’t a good hockey player for the Oilers on a consistent basis. I wrote about how it was time for the two sides to split early on Friday here, and they did just hours later.
Some are upset about the return in this trade, and I understand that. Our own Kjell Iverson touched on the mismanagement of Yakupov here, and he too is not happy with what Peter Chiarelli came home with.
My thoughts on the whole thing? The Oilers got an asset and got rid of a player that simply didn’t fit with this hockey club anymore. As for return, this is exactly in line with what was being telegraphed by NHL insiders and it also fits in with what I had been hearing over the last year. Yakupov’s value was sewered and other NHL teams did not view him like Oiler fans do.
That’s a fact.
With Jordan Eberle fitting with Connor McDavid, there really wasn’t an ideal spot for Yakupov in the lineup. In a large body of work, he and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins weren’t exactly a perfect fit for each other, and I’d rather Kris Versteeg in that spot anyways.
I could have seen Nail with Patrick Maroon and Leon Draisaitl on the third line, but it appears the Oilers like Jesse Puljujarvi for that spot a lot better. I can’t say I blame them either.
If Draisaitl goes to right wing and Drake Caggiula takes the 3C job, then Versteeg slides to line three and Puljujarvi heads to Bakersfield. Again, there really isn’t anywhere to slot Yakupov in here.
In the end, Yakupov didn’t produce either. For a player who is supposed to be an offensive force, Yakupov averaged just a hair over ten goals per season the last three years. That can be easily replaced, in fact the Oilers are replacing that with a better all-around player in Versteeg.
Nail Yakupov didn’t always get a fair shake in Edmonton and it’s not all on him. He had four coaches in four years and was sometimes slotted with linemates that made success impossible. That said, Yakupov didn’t exactly develop the other aspects of his game and he didn’t always produce when he was with other top-six players. It was time and I think the Oilers will be just fine without him.
That said, I’m rooting for Nail and I hope he finds success in St. Louis. He worked hard here but it simply didn’t work out for him with the Oilers. He’s a good kid and I hope success finds him. It just wasn’t going to happen in Edmonton.
Kris Russell An Oiler:
This one kind of surprised me, but the Oilers added another NHL veteran who can play defense. Kris Russell isn’t a sexy player and he’s not going to be a game-changer on the backend. That said, Russell has proven he can play at the NHL level and when in the right spot he can be an effective player. In 2014-15, he was just that for the Calgary Flames.
Russell isn’t a favorite of the advanced stats community and that’s something we need to take seriously. I know the clashing between the stats community and the old-school community still rages on, but both present valid points and we can’t throw away Russell’s poor possession stats.
That said, I think it’s fair to suggest that Russell wasn’t correctly used in Calgary last season and I believe he can help the Oilers in certain areas. He’s a solid penalty killer and can function on the powerplay. I expect we’ll see him on both special team units during the 2016-17 season.
Overall, I don’t think Russell is the tire fire that many make him out to be, but I also don’t look at him and say “wow, the defensive woes are cured!” This is a player that can help in some areas and is an upgrade over some of the defenders employed by the Oilers in recent memory.
If Russell is your number five defender, and I think that will be the case, then he can be a decent player for you. On a one-year deal, I’m willing to make the risk and I look forward to seeing how this will work for the Oilers.
The Potential Lineup:
I think the Kris Russell signing signals the end of Eric Gryba’s time in Edmonton. The Oilers confirmed on Saturday that he’s allowed to seek other opportunities, and at this point I’d be floored if Edmonton gave him a contract. I’m just fine with that because, to be honest, Gryba hadn’t played particularly well to my eye during training camp.
I also wonder about Mark Fayne. I don’t think the Oilers like him and I’m thinking he is again in danger of losing his roster spot. He was solid with Andrej Sekera last year and I think moving Fayne out, at this time, would be a mistake.
Up front we’re likely looking at two set lines: Lucic-McDavid-Eberle and Pitlick-Letestu-Kassian until Hendricks returns.
Who makes up the middle six? I think we’re looking at two possible combinations: Pouliot-RNH-Versteeg and Maroon-Draisaitl-Puljujarvi or Pouliot-RNH-Draisaitl and Maroon-Caggiula-Versteeg.
As for the defense, we know that Klefbom-Larsson will start the season together, but after that it’s all a mystery. Saturday, we saw Sekera-Russell as a pairing and I could see that extending into the regular season.
At this point, it looks like these will be the defensive pairings:
Klefbom-Larsson
Sekera-Russell
Nurse-Davidson
I’d start Nurse in the AHL and roll with Sekera-Fayne and Russell-Davidson, but it appears the Oilers are sold on Nurse starting this season in the NHL. No Mark Fayne, to me at least, is a mistake.
Final Thoughts:
Edmonton Oiler fans were sold hope six years ago when Taylor Hall was drafted. To see Hall and now Nail Yakupov, another top pick, get traded burns this fanbase that was told better times were coming. I think that’s where the anger comes from this weekend. Nail Yakupov never developed and his trade really doesn’t impact the Oilers’ results this season, regardless of what some are saying.
The team got a little older today and, in my mind, got a little bit better. Is it enough to tilt the scales towards the postseason? I say no, but I think the Oilers are going to be just fine without Nail Yakupov and I don’t think Kris Russell is some sort of ticking time bomb that will kill Edmonton’s hopes and dreams.
After ten years of losing, all anyone wants is to win. The Oilers are going with a more veteran lineup in hopes of finding ways to win. I’ll gladly take a veteran defender who can play at this level, albeit with some warts, who actually wants to be an Oiler.
So who is right? That answer will start rolling in five days from now.
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