LOL...
I'll tell you "who couldn't". 90% of the league that have stone hands and plodding speed. Yak has elite speed, an elite shot and elite hand/eye. Get him in the right situation and HF boards will then go into the denial phase... "well, no one could have seen this happening".
LOL...
I'll tell you "who couldn't". 90% of the league that have stone hands and plodding speed. Yak has elite speed, an elite shot and elite hand/eye. Get him in the right situation and HF boards will then go into the denial phase... "well, no one could have seen this happening".
LOL...
I'll tell you "who couldn't". 90% of the league that have stone hands and plodding speed. Yak has elite speed, an elite shot and elite hand/eye. Get him in the right situation and HF boards will then go into the denial phase... "well, no one could have seen this happening".
Needs to go to a team like NYR, Pitt, Chicago, Minn, maybe even NSH or Carolina.
Team that plays a free flowing speed game offensively, can give him a chance to use his creativity without the restraints of "the system." I think STL was too much of a structured hard and heavy team for him.
21% shooting percentage was never going to be sustainable.He scored 17 goals as a rookie, in 48 games.
Eakins ruined the poor kid. I hope he gets another shot.
No, Yak has elite speed and that's it. Everything else is below average
Needs to go to a team like NYR, Pitt, Chicago, Minn, maybe even NSH or Carolina.
Team that plays a free flowing speed game offensively, can give him a chance to use his creativity without the restraints of "the system." I think STL was too much of a structured hard and heavy team for him.
https://www.nhl.com/blues/news/blues-extend-qualifying-offers-to-5-players/c-290158736
As such, will become an UFA on July 1st (assuming he doesn't sign with Blues before then).
Which teams will go after him in free agency?
LOL...
I'll tell you "who couldn't". 90% of the league that have stone hands and plodding speed. Yak has elite speed, an elite shot and elite hand/eye. Get him in the right situation and HF boards will then go into the denial phase... "well, no one could have seen this happening".
Daigle, although he didn't live up to draft hype, was still a .5ppg NHL'er. I even forget that on those early Wild teams he was their leading scorer.
Yakupov wishes he could be a 30-40 point guy in this league
True. He had three 50+ points seasons. Yakupov would jump up and down in joy if he could do that.
I'd like to see if in Ottawa Boucher could grind him down to playing a team system and being responsible defensively. If our owner would allow us to bury him in the minors if it doesn't work out. As someone else said, there's the but....
Carolina's style of play doesn't fit what you say Yak needs.
I wonder if Columbus would give him a shot. Their reclamation project from last year (Gagner) likely priced himself out of their plans. Wonder if they would try to catch lightning in a bottle twice.
You may want to watch him before the offense killing Hitch got a hold of him. Take a good long look at his quick hands.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzHaCWGparw
But where he really should be playing is a place he doesnt want to play. The AHL.
On a top line, with top minutes, playing on the top PP unit, in a scoring role. Buildup confidence, show he can be a goal scorer, consistently for several months.
If that happens, I think he could come back to the NHL and get a shot in a scoring role, and have the confidence to make it happen.
Without that happening, I think some team will give him a shot, put him in a similar role to what the Blues tried with him last year, and be disappointed when he fails.
I'll take a chance on him in NJ, we could use another skilled RWer.