Nail Yakupov‘s time with the St. Louis Blues was brief, but it was apparently long enough for his father to form some strong opinions about head coach Mike Yeo.
Speaking with Championat.com, Yakupov’s dad, Rail, ripped apart Yeo and placed the team’s troubles squarely on the head coach.
Note – the article is translated through Google, so there may be some slight translation errors.
“When the coach is an idiot, the team will fail.”
“Mike Yeo didn’t succeed at Minnesota, he only lost time there. A similar situation is happening now. The team will not fight for such a coach. I saw them play, familiar with their system. This club should fight for the Stanley Cup, but, again, if the coach is an idiot, then you can forget about it. It seems to me that Yeo doesn’t understand anything at all in hockey. Unrestrained, unrestrained. I wouldn’t even trust the children’s team to him.”
Summarized, Yakupov’s dad isn’t a fan of Yeo. You don’t need a perfect translation to pick up on that theme.
Yakupov spent a portion of 2016-17 with the Blues, appearing in 40 total games at the NHL level. He struggled, scoring just three goals and six assists. Regularly a healthy scratch, Yakupov’s season ended with a knee injury. He then left the Blues as an unrestricted free agent after the team declined to extend a qualifying offer.
It’s safe to assume that the elder Yakupov doesn’t believe Yeo handled his son’s situation too well. That thought extends to his statement about Yeo mishandling the youngest players on the team. He also believes that the current Blues roster has enough talent to compete for the Cup, but they’re being held back by their coaching.
Do you agree with Yakupov’s dad? Even if you don’t, Yeo’s time with the Blues might be coming to an early end if the team continues to struggle.
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