Confirmed Trade: [EDM/STL] Yakupov for Zach Pochiro + Cndl 2017 3rd (becomes 2018 2nd if Yak hits 15G)

[Cawz]

Now watch him light it up with Tarasenko.

I think many GMs could end up kicking themselves to not picking him up on the cheap. He wasn't going to turn it around on the Oilers. But he's still young, and all one of the other 28 GMs had to do was beat that offer. Its amazing some other offensive-starved team didn't take a flyer on him.

 

[bleuetbio]

This deal is nothing for the Oilers. The salary garbage of 2.5M$ is the only good sides. A 3rd rounder from the Blues means almost a 4th rounder.

I would take a shot at him for the Habs. I would easily give a RD farm like Lernout which is a nice prospect for us.

Yak must be a pain in the ass in the chamber.

 

[Cawz]

From a neutral observer, I think Edmonton is FINALLY putting a team together rather than accruing the best draft picks it can get. I've said for a while that Edmonton has to be willing to lose a trade to get a better fit for their team. Having an abundance of young talent afford that luxury. I think this year's team is going to be in the hunt for a wild card, and it will be a fun season to be a fan of the Oilers.

I remember someone said that last year (might have been you) and I quoted them and said it was a good point. They have to be willing to lose a trade to improve the team. The old method of holding onto players too long for fear of losing a trade has just resulted in the same old result.

 

[authentic]

He could still turn out to be a decent player, but let's face it if Yakupov wasn't a first overall pick no one would be saying Edmonton lost this deal. He's been here for 4 years and has shown no improvement in any aspect of the NHL game. Every single 1st overall pick in history that was expected to be very good atleast showed that in one of their first 4 seasons.

 

[AINEC*]

So much for Edmonton fans turning down better trade proposals than this left and right lmao

 

[StephenPeat]

before Hall trade- "you can't win with Hall, trade him for whatever help you can get on defense."
after trade- "Edmonton got robbed, Hall is a top 5 winger in the game, should of gotten Subban instead."

before Yakapov trade- "Yak might pass through waivers, don't expect anything more then a late round pick."
After trade- "Yak was a 1OA pick and you traded him for a conditional third and a prospect. Wow Chia is trash, Edmonton will never get out of the basement."

I don't even like the Oilers, but it's hilarious that the same people who laugh at them for not making any moves to make the team better also trash them for making moves and trying to make the team better. They are just going to have to prove it by making the playoffs, or at least drafting outside the top 10, otherwise the fans will never get away from this "trash Edmonton for whatever they do, no matter what."

Well done sir. This is what we've been saying.

The bold is what the more sizable contingent of non-Oilers fans have been saying. Strange how having a generational talent and a fistful of first overalls can do that. If the Oilers drafted Top 7 for what...more than five years, and drafted a generational talent and still miss the playoffs, worse yet are still a bottom 10 (even Bottom 5, like last season) team, fans of every other team have every right to level significant criticism and derision towards the Oilers, whether you like it or not. Absolutely squandering youthful talent like Hall and Yakupov is a slight to the game no matter what jersey they were wearing while they were improperly developed and whether its right or not the fanbase is going to take a beating and from my viewing of Oilers fans that's entirely deserved. The team that had Gretzky once and lost to the Hurricanes because of poor circumstances (sentiments I've seen from Oiler fans many times) seems to feel entitled and expect success to fall in their laps, stuck in the glory days IMHO, while the rest of the league has moved on and fans are realizing that there's parity in the league that transcends draft position and that's a good thing......Florida could win this year, or Dallas, or Tampa and if they do it certainly won't be because of their past glory.

 

[PuckG]

Eberle, Versteeg, Drai are all better than Yak...no point in keeping him here and creating a rift in the dressing room when the guy clearly wanted out last season

With Caggiula injured, Drai is more likely to play as a centre, unless we'd rather have Letestu up in the #3C position. And even if they are better, that excuses selling off Yakupov for a third rounder and a nobody prospect? Nothing has ever pointed towards Yakupov causing a rift in the locker room.

 

[StephenPeat]

I think many GMs could end up kicking themselves to not picking him up on the cheap. He wasn't going to turn it around on the Oilers. But he's still young, and all one of the other 28 GMs had to do was beat that offer. Its amazing some other offensive-starved team didn't take a flyer on him.

This right here is why other fans can't take Oilers fans seriously. "He's a great player and worth your absolute best trade chips, our team is just holding him back." No team beat that offer because Yakupov OR the Oilers have done nothing to suggest he's worth more. The product is a sum of the parts and in this case both product and parts are dragging down each others value, it is what it is.

 

[MessierII]

With Caggiula injured, Drai is more likely to play as a centre, unless we'd rather have Letestu up in the #3C position. And even if they are better, that excuses selling off Yakupov for a third rounder and a nobody prospect? Nothing has ever pointed towards Yakupov causing a rift in the locker room.

Except the coach saying today it was very difficult for him to come into the locker room after saying he didn't want to be here.

 

[belair]

I'm not sure how a vanilla third liner is a wasted asset. If that's the worst case scenario with Yak, then it was worth doing simply because he no longer had a spot here. He also did not seem receptive to...



There's nothing to say Cogliano was even interested in that when he was here. In fact, as you note, much of the talk at the time was very similar to the snippets we've heard from Yakupov over the last couple of years; he was a hard worker and diligent in practice, but had a view of himself and his game and wasn't open to change. Only after moving to another club did he finally see the light.

And, I stress again, even with that wake-up call, I can't say we've missed what Cogliano would have brought; 30-point third liners are a dime a dozen in this league, as evidenced by the Versteeg PTO. There are some players who don't even receive one of those. This is a case of you liking the player more than anyone in professional hockey does. The facts simply don't support an obsession with either player.

Stop staring at his point totals. There's more to the game than just that.

Cogliano is an iron-man checking winger and the Oilers have had the worst bottom six in the league for the last half decade and have been plagued with injuries for years.

And just to play along, how many 30 point third liners has this team been blessed with recently? Versteeg is a guy who's started 60% of his shifts in the offensive zone the past few years. Is that what checking wingers do?

This is another example of the Oilers turning a player into nothing. That's all I was saying. If you care to dig deeper into it, you're just wasting your time.

 

[Cawz]

This right here is why other fans can't take Oilers fans seriously. "He's a great player and worth your absolute best trade chips, our team is just holding him back." No team beat that offer because Yakupov OR the Oilers have done nothing to suggest he's worth more. The product is a sum of the parts and in this case both product and parts are dragging down each others value, it is what it is.

Well, your post if why most people on here cant be taken seriously. I said some team should have beat a 3rd and a nobody-prospect. I'm not sure where you got "absolute best trade chip". It realize its easier to argue with a strawman than a real person, but at least try.

I realize he hasn't helped his value, but as I said, all someone had to do was beat that very low-ball offer. In a few months, many GMs could be wishing they added a bit more to the Oilers (note - not an absolute best trade chip. Please go argue with the strawman without bringing me into it.)

 

[carter333167]

Seems like a win-win for all parties involved. Oilers move a player whom they don't need, get something in return and don't retain any salary. Yak gets a fresh start and Blues obviously get a chance at some upside in an area of need.

I don't get the criticism of the Oilers on this one. If rumors are true, the other deals would have involved some measure of salary retention. Moreover, Yak just didn';t have a place on a team so stacked with forwards...sitting in the press box while carrying his salary isn't a good deal for the Oilers. I think it's 50/50 that he hits 15 goals and the resulting 2nd is a nice thing to have.

 

[StephenPeat]

Stop staring at his point totals. There's more to the game than just that.

Cogliano is an iron-man checking winger and the Oilers have had the worst bottom six in the league for the last half decade and have been plagued with injuries for years.

And just to play along, how many 30 point third liners has this team been blessed with recently? Versteeg is a guy who's started 60% of his shifts in the offensive zone the past few years. Is that what checking wingers do?

This is another example of the Oilers turning a player into nothing. That's all I was saying. If you care to dig deeper into it, you're just wasting your time.

I think your point is correct but incorrectly stated. The Ducks realized and capitalized on Cogliano's strengths, the Oilers kept trying to make his poorest dimension [his shutdown ability] his only dimension because that's what they needed most and where he fit in their lineup (god forbid a higher drafted player counted on solely to score goals should also learn to play a structured defense-included team game so players like Cogliano can play to their strengths instead of trying to make up for everyone else's poor 200ft effort). Listen, I don't dislike the Oilers OR Yakupov but 30-plus pages in and people are still defending the Oilers handling of Yakupov and suggesting he holds more blame than the Oilers and that's appaling, theres, at a minimum, blame to go around.

 

[Got One Cup]

Well, your post if why most people on here cant be taken seriously. I said some team should have beat a 3rd and a nobody-prospect. I'm not sure where you got "absolute best trade chip". It realize its easier to argue with a strawman than a real person, but at least try.

I realize he hasn't helped his value, but as I said, all someone had to do was beat that very low-ball offer. In a few months, many GMs could be wishing they added a bit more to the Oilers (note - not an absolute best trade chip. Please go argue with the strawman without bringing me into it.)

Think a lot of it had to do with that cap hit as well. 2.5 for what he has been producing isn't very inticing. Only reason the Blues had the cap space is because Sobotka didn't come over.

 

[JTmillerForA1stLOL]

Well done sir. This is what we've been saying.

This happens all the time. Same thing happened to us when we traded Luongo and Schneider. Luongo was a washed up bum with a horrible contract, and Schneider was an unproven 1b who struggled in the playoffs... yet once they were finally traded, the returns were laughed at and we had apparently been ripped off.

 

[belair]

I think your point is correct but incorrectly stated. The Ducks realized and capitalized on Cogliano's strengths, the Oilers kept trying to make his poorest dimension [his shutdown ability] his only dimension because that's what they needed most and where he fit in their lineup (god forbid a higher drafted player counted on solely to score goals should also learn to play a structured defense-included team game so players like Cogliano can play to their strengths instead of trying to make up for everyone else's poor 200ft effort). Listen, I don't dislike the Oilers OR Yakupov but 30-plus pages in and people are still defending the Oilers handling of Yakupov and suggesting he holds more blame than the Oilers and that's appaling, theres, at a minimum, blame to go around.

At the time I didn't doubt Cogliano would be a good two-way player in this league. The posts are there to prove it if you'd care to check.

And if he's given a longer leash in St Louis, I don't doubt Yakupov hits those 15 goals with ease this season.

 

[StephenPeat]

Well, your post if why most people on here cant be taken seriously. I said some team should have beat a 3rd and a nobody-prospect. I'm not sure where you got "absolute best trade chip". It realize its easier to argue with a strawman than a real person, but at least try.

I realize he hasn't helped his value, but as I said, all someone had to do was beat that very low-ball offer. In a few months, many GMs could be wishing they added a bit more to the Oilers (note - not an absolute best trade chip. Please go argue with the strawman without bringing me into it.)

I'll admit, for you personally this is an absolute strawman and for that I apologize to you but what would you think some other team should have paid? I can look back through the posts just this week to find examples where Oiler fans were demanding much better assets than what they ultimately received but I doubt you'll be satisfied so what do you think he's worth (as of right now I'd say a conditional third and long-shot prospect is expected value) I can't imagine why anyone would pay more.

 

[StephenPeat]

This happens all the time. Same thing happened to us when we traded Luongo and Schneider. Luongo was a washed up bum with a horrible contract, and Schneider was an unproven 1b who struggled in the playoffs... yet once they were finally traded, the returns were laughed at and we had apparently been ripped off.

More appropriately Canuck fans were laughed at for what they demanded for Luongo as opposed to what he ultimately returned. At the time Canucks fans suggested the Capitals trade Carlson or Kuznetsov for Luongo. I'm pretty sure it's obvious to most who was out-of-touch.

 

[Cawz]

I'll admit, for you personally this is an absolute strawman and for that I apologize to you but what would you think some other team should have paid? I can look back through the posts just this week to find examples where Oiler fans were demanding much better assets than what they ultimately received but I doubt you'll be satisfied so what do you think he's worth (as of right now I'd say a conditional third and long-shot prospect is expected value) I can't imagine why anyone would pay more.

#1 - apology accepted. Its one of my pet peeves.

#2 - I just think STL could look like geniuses buying low on him. The chance of either of the assets the Oilers received playing even 1 game in the NHL is very low. Yak is still young, has skills, and could excel with the right mentorship. Its not like a player that basically every scout had as the #1 prospect will forget how to play this quickly. History is littered with players who struggled this young and still found their game, especially when they got a fresh start

I'm satisfied with what the Oilers got because I knew he was going to be traded and that the return was going to be underwhelming. My expectations were low and met. Other GMs will regret not beating that very low-ball offer. I'll go on record with that prediction.

 

[StephenPeat]

At the time I didn't doubt Cogliano would be a good two-way player in this league. The posts are there to prove it if you'd care to check.

And if he's given a longer leash in St Louis, I don't doubt Yakupov hits those 15 goals with ease this season.

As of today, which player is better and more valuable? And what is the most significant factor in that valuation? I'd argue that it's the team both players have most recently played for, care to argue with that?

 

[Menzinger]

From a neutral observer, I think Edmonton is FINALLY putting a team together rather than accruing the best draft picks it can get. I've said for a while that Edmonton has to be willing to lose a trade to get a better fit for their team. Having an abundance of young talent afford that luxury. I think this year's team is going to be in the hunt for a wild card, and it will be a fun season to be a fan of the Oilers.

But is very questionable if they better.

After the Hall trade they're a more balanced team -but a top five right winger and top scorer is going to make a bigger on ice impact than a decent top four defensemen

 

[StephenPeat]

#1 - apology accepted. Its one of my pet peeves.

#2 - I just think STL could look like geniuses buying low on him. The chance of either of the assets the Oilers received playing even 1 game in the NHL is very low. Yak is still young, has skills, and could excel with the right mentorship. Its not like a player that basically every scout had as the #1 prospect will forget how to play this quickly. History is littered with players who struggled this young and still found their game, especially when they got a fresh start

I'm satisfied with what the Oilers got because I knew he was going to be traded and that the return was going to be underwhelming. My expectations were low and met. Other GMs will regret not beating that very low-ball offer. I'll go on record with that prediction.

I'll cut right to my biggest pet peeve about the Oilers because the evidence is right there in your post. You've yet to say negative word one about the Oilers yet continue to profess the value of potential. Perhaps the brainwashing of the Lowe's of the world is too strong. The fact is Yakupov has talent and could be a good player but isn't today. If he goes to a new environment and kills it (or surpasses 15 goals) it means the potential was there and the Oilers were incapable of realizing it and, in fact , repressed it. To me the fans in Edm need to be more vocal that this offseason has to be different for their own sake and the sake of the league and need to start voicing their frustrations in the only forum the old garde recognizes, be willing to stop going to games and watching the team, it's been a gong-show for far too long. Imagine if McDavid's career progresses worse than Ovechkin's has from a team standpoint....I'm rarely more invested in hockey talk than casual fandom but that is a terrible thing for fans of any and all teams.

 

[belair]

As of today, which player is better and more valuable? And what is the most significant factor in that valuation? I'd argue that it's the team both players have most recently played for, care to argue with that?

Without question, Cogliano.

They're also two very different players at two very different points in their career.

The players themselves are not comparable. The situations certainly are.

 

[smackdaddy]

I'll cut right to my biggest pet peeve about the Oilers because the evidence is right there in your post. You've yet to say negative word one about the Oilers yet continue to profess the value of potential. Perhaps the brainwashing of the Lowe's of the world is too strong. The fact is Yakupov has talent and could be a good player but isn't today. If he goes to a new environment and kills it (or surpasses 15 goals) it means the potential was there and the Oilers were incapable of realizing it and, in fact , repressed it. To me the fans in Edm need to be more vocal that this offseason has to be different for their own sake and the sake of the league and need to start voicing their frustrations in the only forum the old garde recognizes, be willing to stop going to games and watching the team, it's been a gong-show for far too long. Imagine if McDavid's career progresses worse than Ovechkin's has from a team standpoint....I'm rarely more invested in hockey talk than casual fandom but that is a terrible thing for fans of any and all teams.

You want to talk hockey but yet all you do is skim the surface on yak and forumalte childlike opinions. If I wanted to be so shallow and simplistic as to assume that yaks only issue was the terrible development of the Oilers narrative, then you're not discussing hockey. You're just regurgitating what 90% of the posts here.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

But is very questionable if they better.

After the Hall trade they're a more balanced team -but a top five right winger and top scorer is going to make a bigger on ice impact than a decent top four defensemen

what?

Larsson is more than likely gonna play 22-25 minutes a night....wingers don't play that much and don't contribute as much on the ice as centers and d-men

that's why wingers are always so expendable