Should the Leafs grab Yakupov if he's Waived?

[Kin]

I think Yak is the type of player who needs to play with talented players to produce. He can't create it himself but know what to do when he's there.

I think that's part of the problem though. It's not like McDavid is Yakupov's first chance at playing with a talented player. He's played with Hall and Eberle and RNH and generally with all of them he's been pretty bad and dragged them down.

Even if you're right and he had some sort of unique chemistry with McDavid that allowed him to be really effective, you have to ask yourself if that's something he's likely to duplicate with anyone on the Leafs. Matthews will probably be a very good player at some point but in the next year or so he's not a guarantee to be significantly better than RNH and Kadri definitely isn't going to be Connor McDavid any time soon.

McDavid isn't just a talented player. If he'd been healthy all year, there's an excellent chance he would have come in 2nd in the league in scoring as a rookie. If that's the sort of guy Yakupov needs to be effective the Leafs are a bad spot for him.

 

[Kin]

The main consideration is whether Babcock's coaching could help Yakupov get closer to the upside people thought he had when he went #1.  Not being your average coach, I think its conceivable at least.  It's a high-reward, essentially no-risk move.

What I would do is call up Eakins and get his intel as part of any decisionmaking.

I think, especially based on what we just saw with Team Europe, you can make a pretty fair case that Yakupov has already had a number of pretty good head coaches, none of whom have been able to get any serious growth from him.

 

[ZBBM]

The main consideration is whether Babcock's coaching could help Yakupov get closer to the upside people thought he had when he went #1.  Not being your average coach, I think its conceivable at least.  It's a high-reward, essentially no-risk move.

What I would do is call up Eakins and get his intel as part of any decisionmaking.

I don't know if Eakins is the go to guy there. He didn't coach that roster very well.

It's hard to say exactly what all went wrong with his stint out there but he was regarded as a very good judge of talent when he was at the Marlies IIRC.  I would want to know what he thinks of Yakupov's intangibles.

 

[ZBBM]

The main consideration is whether Babcock's coaching could help Yakupov get closer to the upside people thought he had when he went #1.  Not being your average coach, I think its conceivable at least.  It's a high-reward, essentially no-risk move.

What I would do is call up Eakins and get his intel as part of any decisionmaking.

I think, especially based on what we just saw with Team Europe, you can make a pretty fair case that Yakupov has already had a number of pretty good head coaches, none of whom have been able to get any serious growth from him.

Sure, but Babcock's Babcock and no one else is.  And again, we're talking a no-cost acquisition here.  There's really very little downside to giving it a shot, especially since the experiment would likely play out pretty quickly one way or the other.

 

[Tigger]

Just for kicks, what's the likelihood of this?

 

[Boston Leaf]

I remember the whole Fail for Nail campaign.. Crazy,,,  reminds me of the Alexander Daigle situation. I think we should pass.. Work with the kids we have

 

[Kin]

Just for kicks, what's the likelihood of this?

Just at a glance it seems like the sort of thing that might happen but probably not soon. According to this here from the Edmonton Journal it looks like Yakupov is very much on the fringe of the roster but, that said, they seem pretty certain he's still going to make the team.

http://www.theprovince.com/sports/hockey/edmonton-oilers/eight+oilers+points+ponder+nail+yakupov+likely/12248649/story.html

So this should probably be a general rumour rather than a media rumour. I can't find anything that suggests him being waived is imminent.

 

[sneakyray]

same gm who traded tyler seguin...and taylor hall.

it should be interesting to see how what happens in edmonton this year!

 

[TBLeafer]

same gm who traded tyler seguin...and taylor hall.

it should be interesting to see how what happens in edmonton this year!

Trades Draisaitl for Chara?

 

[bustaheims]

Here's the question - which player are you willing to bump off the Leafs' roster to give Yakupov a chance? I only see two real options - Greening or Michalek. Michalek has a much better NHL track record and, if he can stay healthy, should be a nice trade chip for the Leafs at the deadline (and, I'd say he has a higher likelihood of doing so than Yakupov). Greening makes for a much better bottom 6 winger than Yakupov. Looking at the roster, the cap, and the options, to me, it's a real simple no.

 

[TBLeafer]

Greening, Hyman, Brown, Leivo, Sosh (already starting on the Marlies due to injury).

They could go the Corrado route with Yak.  Get him used to the system and the team.  Once he has the confidence in Babs to give him some ice, try him out.  Maybe he sticks, maybe he doesn't.  If he doesn't, waive him and you've lost nothing. 

 

[Kin]

Even if it's a move with a fairly limited downside I'm struggling to see it as one with any real upside either. In an absolute best case scenario Yakupov has a good year(taking valuable time in a scoring role/PP unit) on a Leafs team that probably won't be in a playoff spot and then the team has to decide whether or not to re-sign him on the basis of one good year in a contract year. He'd have limited trade value too as, again, whoever traded for him would have to be comfortable signing him on the basis of one good year.

 

[TBLeafer]

A one year bridge contract with a league minimum raise for a qualifying offer could see to that.

Or he could get his QO and get picked up by Vegas.

 

[Kin]

A one year bridge contract with a league minimum raise for a qualifying offer could see to that.

Which is what I'm saying. There's value in this if he has a good year and then if he's interested in signing a super-team friendly deal when there might be real KHL money on the table.

So limited upside, disruptive to the team's plans, unlikely success...hard pass.

 

[TBLeafer]

A one year bridge contract with a league minimum raise for a qualifying offer could see to that.

Which is what I'm saying. There's value in this if he has a good year and then if he's interested in signing a super-team friendly deal when there might be real KHL money on the table.

So limited upside, disruptive to the team's plans, unlikely success...hard pass.

How is it disruptive to the team's plans again?  I'm sorry I thought picking up a waived player if they think he contribute has already happened with Corrado and will continue to.  Leafs have right of first refusal given their 30th place standing on any waived player.

IF Yak hits the waiver wire, the Leafs ABSOLUTELY snag him.

 

[leafsjunkie]

Yeah, they will and they'll play him on Stamkos line, too?  :

 

[Kin]

How is it disruptive to the team's plans again? 

Seems fairly straightforward. The argument is that for Yakupov to have a good year he needs to get offensive opportunities with a good C. The Leafs have plans for most of those spots. Bringing in Yakupov and inserting him into the lineup would necessarily change those plans.

 

[TBLeafer]

How is it disruptive to the team's plans again? 

Seems fairly straightforward. The argument is that for Yakupov to have a good year he needs to get offensive opportunities with a good C. The Leafs have plans for most of those spots. Bringing in Yakupov and inserting him into the lineup would necessarily change those plans.

Nah, they can roll 3 scoring lines and a grinding line with all the young skill they'll have.  Like with everyone else, Yak would have to EARN every inch.  If he does, great.  We find ourselves another good young player we didn't need to give up any assets for.  If not, we waive him (at which point he'll probably clear) and move on to the next player on the depth chart.

The plan was to not give away top assets to build a team.  Those top assets are now in place.  Now its about finding the right mix.  IF he waived, IMO its worth finding out whether Yak fits into that mix or not.

 

[Tigger]

Just for kicks, what's the likelihood of this?

Just at a glance it seems like the sort of thing that might happen but probably not soon. According to this here from the Edmonton Journal it looks like Yakupov is very much on the fringe of the roster but, that said, they seem pretty certain he's still going to make the team.

http://www.theprovince.com/sports/hockey/edmonton-oilers/eight+oilers+points+ponder+nail+yakupov+likely/12248649/story.html

So this should probably be a general rumour rather than a media rumour. I can't find anything that suggests him being waived is imminent.

Yeah, I doubt they're going to waive him at this point too, and if there's little interest in acquiring a recent 1stOA for nothing, well, that speaks volumes.

 

[Kin]

Nah, they can roll 3 scoring lines and a grinding line with all the young skill they'll have.

It's not really debatable. Right now that's either already the plan and they have guys in mind for those spots or that's not the plan. Either way bringing in Yakupov and putting him in one of those spots or going with three scoring lines would change things. I appreciate that you're saying you think it would be a positive change but that's immaterial to the fact that it would be a change.