Yakupov to Blues
- Thread starter Kin
- Start date
dappleganger
Active member
The Blues is a great fit for Yak.
Kin
New member
sickbeast said:
I don't know if I'd make the leap to him being bad in the locker room. He's been plenty bad on-ice the last few years to justify this price. We were just talking about the possibility of Edmonton waiving him.
I know some people think there's still a lot of upside there and maybe he develops in a new environment with less pressure but a 2nd/3rd round pick seems about right for what Yakupov is right now.
bustaheims
Active member
Nik the Trik said:
Generous, even, considering his production last season.
I only say that because with a coach like Babcock and a highly skilled player like that, I would have thought that the Leafs would potentially be interested in a player like Yakupov. It's not as though the Leafs don't have the picks or prospects to get a deal done. I suspect that there is more to this story.Nik the Trik said:
bustaheims
Active member
sickbeast said:
I suspect the "more to this story" is that the Leafs weren't interested in parting with assets for a reclamation project - which is what Yakupov would be for the Leafs. It's really as simple as that - Babcock or no Babcock. And, let's be real here - there's only so much time in the season the head coach can dedicate to working with an individual player. He has many more important responsibilities. The impact Babcock may have been able to have on Yakupov (or any player, for that matter) turning things around is much less significant than it's being made out to be.
Kin
New member
sickbeast said:
I think a pretty straightforward reason is that the Leafs have prospects, and NHL ready young players, who they like better than Yakupov. Babcock and staff are already going to be devoting their time to developing a bunch of high talent young players and regardless of what someone thinks Babcock's abilities are in that regard, I think everyone would have to admit they're not unlimited.
It's pretty rare to see a #1 overall draft pick completely bust like this. This is another reason why I think there is more to this story. Perhaps he had trouble adjusting to life in North America. Maybe his play was well suited to how hockey is played in Russia, but it did not translate well in the NHL. There could also be a communication barrier. Does he speak English? It's got to be hard to coach a guy who you can't really communicate with. Same goes for his teammates. I also get the sense that he was badly mishandled in Edmonton, along with several other talented young players (i.e. Taylor Hall).
Frank E
Active member
sickbeast said:
I wouldn't categorically call him a complete bust. He's a 30 point forward. Disappointing performance to date for a first overall pick? Sure, I'd say that, but obviously the Blues think he still has some value and a future.
Taylor Hall is a heck of hockey player, so I wouldn't say that Edmonton screwed that one up. The trade doesn't look to be a great one yet, but I'm willing to wait to see how Larsson fits in there, and there were a bunch of circumstances that dictated that Edmonton wasn't going to get equal talent back in return...they needed a guy with term on his contract.
Look at Yakupov's plus minus rating. It's shockingly bad, even considering that he has been playing for Edmonton. Perhaps the scouts had it wrong to begin with. He could simply be a one-dimensional player who can score goals but does not know how to back check or play defense. The other problem is that he has not been scoring goals either. You could argue that he's not a complete bust but he's pretty close to that IMO.Frank E said:
A player like Phil Kessel can get away with play like that because he scores goals at an elite level. Yakupov does not. It's not even close. Plus Kessel is surrounded by good players that can make up for his deficiencies in Pittsburgh. Yakupov is surrounded by a bunch of inexperienced kids that have not been coached or mentored properly.
bustaheims
Active member
sickbeast said:
It's not really as rare as you think. Happens to about one in ten, and, if anything, it was due to happen to someone soon.