Post-Game Talk: Oilers 2 Jets 1

[Philly85*]

This was the road game they have been looking for all season.

Hopefully #88 is ok.

Explain? They beat Philly 4-0, in Philly. You mean winning a 2-1 game away from home in general? I thought it was an ugly win. Don't even know if it was deserved. But they got it none the less.

Hard to watch this **** hockey down the stretch.

I'd say there's a less than 10% chance we'll ever see this team completely healthy for more than 4 games.

 

[Spawn]

Please no. I'd rather see Oesterle or guys like Musil/Simpson can their cup of coffee in the nhl than see that useless pylon play for the team again.

If Nikitin and Clendenning both play next game, 4 of 6 Oilers d-men will have hit waivers this year

I'm really happy with how the team has played of late, but god damn does Chiarelli need to get some real d-men on this team come next season.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Please no. I'd rather see Oesterle or guys like Musil/Simpson can their cup of coffee in the nhl than see that useless pylon play for the team again.

I agree completely, but they still need to "manage" the 3 remaining call-ups, plus I believe they will want to be completely sure that they just can't use Nikitin at all.

I'm convinced, but one more game dressed will cement it for the franchise.

 

[CupofOil]

Explain? They beat Philly 4-0, in Philly. You mean winning a 2-1 game away from home in general? I thought it was an ugly win. Don't even know if it was deserved. But they got it none the less.

Hard to watch this **** hockey down the stretch.

I'd say there's a less than 10% chance we'll ever see this team completely healthy for more than 4 games.

It's pretty much zero chance with the Pouliot and Davidson injuries being season enders in all likelihood and who knows if Klefbom even comes back this season?

 

[5 14 6 1]

I love Cambot. Also Maroon has been awesome.

 

[ICdave]

Post-game audio: Coach Todd McLellan, Cam Talbot and Patrick Maroon.

To listen click here.

 

[harpoon]

Yak has actually been pretty good at it.

Rob Brown (a guy who's actually played in the NHL) with some pretty damning commentary on Yakupov at the very minute you are typing your opinion.
Saying that Yakupov has "not been good enough". That he isn't supporting the puck. That tonight, for example, he made a "hopeful" pass at the blueline that turned onto a 2 on 1 for the Jets. Saying that the mistakes just "aren't going away".

He went on to say that Yakupov's "spirit can't sag" (words used by the Yak fanboy who had called in all worried about Yakupov's 'spirit') when he is played down the lineup because "that's the exact message you don't want to send to your team mates". The suggestion was there that Yakupov tries harder when he is played with McDavid and visibly pouts or 'sags' when he has to play with someone else. Brown used the words "too good to play with you slugs". Its a sense of entitlement that seems mirrored in his fan base.

The fact is Yakupov hasn't looked that great at any time this season (again) other than the first few games with McDavid. You or others can keep typing that "he looks good" , "looks better than Eberle", "doesn't deserve to play with Letestu" etc, but none of that is actually objectively true.

Ask yourself when the last time you saw ex-players and broadcasters make fun of a player's style. A FOA pick no less, and jokes about swarms of bees are getting made on national TV.

Ask yourself could it possibly be true that coach after coach would all just dislike Yakupov, want to stunt his development, or prefer "good old Canadian boys".

Edit*

Wow. Brown really going off on Yakupov right now when a second fan called in to plead Nail's case.

"He's not good enough to play with Connor McDavid. He's just not."

"Yakupov is not fast. He's not. If you watch the practices and see him with the other guys. He's not fast. He just moves his arms and legs fast".

"Yakupov does not have a good one timer. He does not. He fans on as many as he hits. He does have a good snapshot."

"With the puck he's not good enough to overcome how bad he is without the puck".

"This isn't just me saying this. Its this year's coach. Its last year's coach. Its all the coaches. Its the word around the NHL."

"I think the Oilers would be a better team if Nail was a better hockey player".

"I don't think he's in the plans for the team. If he was he'd be playing a lot more".

And on and on and on ... basically just rubbishing Yakupov and saying that he needs to start listening to what he's told instead of doing what he thinks he needs to do.

 

[Hammertyme]

Yea, there's definitely an adjustment players have to make when playing with McDavid. Yak has actually been pretty good at it.

Yak s anticipation and hockey IQ skills are low. He has the physical but not re figuring out and reactionary skills.

 

[Hopelesslucicfan]

Next season can't come fast enough.

I want Eberle gone, because he's painful to watch, and puts in schultz level efforts in the D zone. His physical and defensive play is embarrassing.

I wan't Yak gone. I like yak, and would love to have him here long term, but it's very clear after multiple coaches and seasons, that there is something wrong with the whole situation. I just want him gone so it's not something I even care about anymore. I do hope that if we do trade him, he blows up somewhere else though and becomes a 20+ goal scorer. He seems like a great kid.

I want Nikitin shot into the sun, along with clendening.

I want the oilers to start taking runs at the other teams skill guys. We have the bodies to do it. I'm tired of being the victims, and one game in philly doesn't change **** anymore.

I want 2 more top 4 Dmen. I don't care how good Davidson is, I do not want him in my top 4. I want him in the bottom pairing until the second game of the season when 3 of our top 4 Dmen get hurt, so we can have a real top 4 Dman step in.

I want Brossoit to get half the starts until the end of the year, so we can see what we have in him. Apparently when the kid has 1 bad game, he's already a bust on these boards..

I want Klowe and Mctavish to never even be mentioned in the same breath as the oilers again. It really pissed me off seeing that twitter segment with Lowe talking about the oilers in their outdoor game. How can these guys even show their faces on behalf of this team. It's a ****ing joke.

I want Nurse sent down so people can stop calling him a bust. The kid is being thrown to the ****ing wolves this year.

I want whoever the **** cursed us with the injury bug to lay off. You always know when an oiler injury is coming, because they start playing really well.

most of all, I just want the oilers to care half as much as we fans do.

Other than that, I'm totally happy with another oilers win.

 

[Ninety7]

Rob Brown (a guy who's actually played in the NHL) with some pretty damning commentary on Yakupov at the very minute you are typing your opinion.
Saying that Yakupov has "not been good enough". That he isn't supporting the puck. That tonight, for example, he made a "hopeful" pass at the blueline that turned onto a 2 on 1 for the Jets. Saying that the mistakes just "aren't going away".

He went on to say that Yakupov's "spirit can't sag" (words used by the Yak fanboy who had called in all worried about Yakupov's 'spirit') when he is played down the lineup because "that's the exact message you don't want to send to your team mates". The suggestion was there that Yakupov tries harder when he is played with McDavid and visibly pouts or 'sags' when he has to play with someone else. Brown used the words "too good to play with you slugs". Its a sense of entitlement that seems mirrored in his fan base.

The fact is Yakupov hasn't looked that great at any time this season (again) other than the first few games with McDavid. You or others can keep typing that "he looks good" , "looks better than Eberle", "doesn't deserve to play with Letestu" etc, but none of that is actually objectively true.

Ask yourself when the last time you saw ex-players and broadcasters make fun of a player's style. A FOA pick no less, and jokes about swarms of bees are getting made on national TV.

Ask yourself could it possibly be true that coach after coach would all just dislike Yakupov, want to stunt his development, or prefer "good old Canadian boys".

Edit* Wow. Brown really going off on Yakupov right now when a second fan called in to plead Nail's case.

"He's not good enough to play with Connor McDavid. He's just not."

"Yakupov is not fast. He's not. If you watch the practices and see him with the other guys. He's not fast. He just moves his arms and legs fast".

"Yakupov does not have a good one timer. He does not. He fans on as many as he hits. He does have a good snapshot."

"Without the puck he's not good enough to overcome how bad he is without the puck".

"This isn't just me saying this. Its this year's coach. Its last year's coach. Its all the coaches. Its the word around the NHL."

"I think the Oilers would be a better team if Nail was a better hockey player".

"I don't think he's in the plans for the team. If he was he'd be playing a lot more".

And on and on and on ... basically just rubbishing Yakupov and saying that he needs to start listening to what he's told instead of doing what he thinks he needs to do.

I feel like him being bad away from the puck is overblown. Maybe to start the season and for sure in his rookie season, but in recent memory he hasn't been abysmal like some make him out to be. Problem is when he turns it over once it's like the world is ending and everyone talks about it for the next 5 days. And when he does the good things, no one says a peep or it's always like "oh he has to prove himself more". From my standpoint he just can't win here, which is why it'll be better for both parties to just move on.

 

[KCC]

I haven't heard anything - I'm assuming he's out for the rest of the season?

Chiarelli said a few weeks back that he would be returning around the same time as RNH, but who knows what that means considering RNH is no where close to returning.

 

[CorgisPer60]

Sucks that Yakupov isn't reaching the 1st overall level that was thrust upon him.

 

[Wretched Oil]

A win is nice, feel bad for Davey but he will be back.

Every 'expert' spouts their opinions as fact, that doesn't make it true.

This yak/Eberle narrative is frickin old and tired.

We weren't making the playoffs anyways and winning is still important, I guess now well get to see more rookies show us what they got down the stretch.

There will be trades in the summer and the know it alls will be able to brag about their predictions then.

Proud of the win

 

[Wreckus]

Chiarelli said a few weeks back that he would be returning around the same time as RNH, but who knows what that means considering RNH is no where close to returning.

I thought they said that RNH is close to returning (as soon as March 12)?

From - https://www.nhl.com/news/ryan-nugent-hopkins-of-edmonton-oilers-not-disappointed-in-world-cup-omission/c-279322626

McLellan said there's a soft target date of March 12 against the Arizona Coyotes for his return. That would give Nugent-Hopkins 12 regular-season games and potentially a spot with Canada for the 2016 IIHF World Championship to show he should be one of the final seven players picked for the team.

 

[harpoon]

I feel like him being bad away from the puck is overblown. Maybe to start the season and for sure in his rookie season, but in recent memory he hasn't been abysmal like some make him out to be.

Rob Brown. A man who scored a whack in this league and played with some of the best players the game has ever seen.
A guy who now makes his living following the Oilers and commenting on the games.

He's obviously not perfect, and prone to bias like the rest of us, but the best thing he could find to say about Yakupov was "I like Nail. I want him to succeed. I think the Oilers would be better if Nail was a better hockey player".

I wish that the Yakupov fanbase hadn't made this an Eberle vs Yakupov thing. I would be a lot more likely to be patient with Yakupov's utter failure to play NHL positional hockey if I didn't have to read a hundred posts saying well Hall this, Eberle that and RNH the other.

 

[SDig14]

Chiarelli said a few weeks back that he would be returning around the same time as RNH, but who knows what that means considering RNH is no where close to returning.

I wouldn't say he's nowhere close.

 

[BoldNewLettuce]

Rob Brown (a guy who's actually played in the NHL) with some pretty damning commentary on Yakupov at the very minute you are typing your opinion.

Rob Brown is very eager to point out Yakupov's faults and very slow to pick on Eberle....and if he does pick on Eberle it's "he knows that and he needs to be better".

It really shouldn't be one or the other but I guess, if they're competing for the same ice time, it is (it is for Rob Brown and when it comes to McDavid minutes). I do find it interesting that somehow neither Ebs or Yak has cracked the Drai line very much.

Anyway....I've started to sort of lump most of the forwards together....and to me....you can use every single one of Brown's "insights" on Yakupov to describe almost every single forward on the team.

 

[SDig14]

Rob Brown. A man who scored a whack in this league and played with some of the best players the game has ever seen.
A guy who now makes his living following the Oilers and commenting on the games.

He's obviously not perfect, and prone to bias like the rest of us, but the best thing he could find to say about Yakupov was "I like Nail. I want him to succeed. I think the Oilers would be better if Nail was a better hockey player".

I wish that the Yakupov fanbase hadn't made this an Eberle vs Yakupov thing. I would be a lot more likely to be patient with Yakupov's utter failure to play NHL positional hockey if I didn't have to read a hundred posts saying well Hall this, Eberle that and RNH the other.

Ya, I don't care about people that played in the NHL at all.

They're often clueless or so biased it's embarrassing.

 

[Frank the Tank]

Rob Brown (a guy who's actually played in the NHL) with some pretty damning commentary on Yakupov at the very minute you are typing your opinion.
Saying that Yakupov has "not been good enough". That he isn't supporting the puck. That tonight, for example, he made a "hopeful" pass at the blueline that turned onto a 2 on 1 for the Jets. Saying that the mistakes just "aren't going away".

He went on to say that Yakupov's "spirit can't sag" (words used by the Yak fanboy who had called in all worried about Yakupov's 'spirit') when he is played down the lineup because "that's the exact message you don't want to send to your team mates". The suggestion was there that Yakupov tries harder when he is played with McDavid and visibly pouts or 'sags' when he has to play with someone else. Brown used the words "too good to play with you slugs". Its a sense of entitlement that seems mirrored in his fan base.

The fact is Yakupov hasn't looked that great at any time this season (again) other than the first few games with McDavid. You or others can keep typing that "he looks good" , "looks better than Eberle", "doesn't deserve to play with Letestu" etc, but none of that is actually objectively true.

Ask yourself when the last time you saw ex-players and broadcasters make fun of a player's style. A FOA pick no less, and jokes about swarms of bees are getting made on national TV.

Ask yourself could it possibly be true that coach after coach would all just dislike Yakupov, want to stunt his development, or prefer "good old Canadian boys".

Edit*

Wow. Brown really going off on Yakupov right now when a second fan called in to plead Nail's case.

"He's not good enough to play with Connor McDavid. He's just not."

"Yakupov is not fast. He's not. If you watch the practices and see him with the other guys. He's not fast. He just moves his arms and legs fast".

"Yakupov does not have a good one timer. He does not. He fans on as many as he hits. He does have a good snapshot."

"With the puck he's not good enough to overcome how bad he is without the puck".

"This isn't just me saying this. Its this year's coach. Its last year's coach. Its all the coaches. Its the word around the NHL."

"I think the Oilers would be a better team if Nail was a better hockey player".

"I don't think he's in the plans for the team. If he was he'd be playing a lot more".

And on and on and on ... basically just rubbishing Yakupov and saying that he needs to start listening to what he's told instead of doing what he thinks he needs to do.

Some interesting comments coming from Rob Brown, considering his only significant career accomplishments came playing alongside Lemieux.

 

[CupofOil]

Ya, I don't care about people that played in the NHL at all.

They're often clueless or so biased it's embarrassing.

No kidding. Ex - P.J. Stock, Kelly Hrudey, Glen Healy, Nick Kypreos etc. etc.

Just because somebody has played in the NHL, that doesn't automatically make their opinion valid. Granted, Brown does make some good points about Yak. There's a reason why 5 coaches now haven't given him the keys to the top 6 (and yes, there were a lot of complaints about Krueger's handling of Yak as well).

With that said, Eberle isn't the answer either. I don't see the chemistry with McDavid at all and his play and effort away from the puck is excruciating to watch. I think he's as good as gone this offseason and we will hate the return (think Kessel level return).

 

[ChaoticOrange]

Rob Brown. A man who scored a whack in this league and played with some of the best players the game has ever seen.
A guy who now makes his living following the Oilers and commenting on the games.

He's obviously not perfect, and prone to bias like the rest of us, but the best thing he could find to say about Yakupov was "I like Nail. I want him to succeed. I think the Oilers would be better if Nail was a better hockey player".

I wish that the Yakupov fanbase hadn't made this an Eberle vs Yakupov thing. I would be a lot more likely to be patient with Yakupov's utter failure to play NHL positional hockey if I didn't have to read a hundred posts saying well Hall this, Eberle that and RNH the other.

Glenn Healy, Kelly Hrudey, Mike Johnson, Jeremy Roenick and PJ Stock all played in the NHL too. Frankly I don't care if he played in the NHL or not. It doesn't mean he's a good commentator or still has a good read on the game.

David Staples tracks scoring chances +\-. Does it shock you that Yakupov has a better ratio than any winger on the Oilers but Eberle?

 

[duul]

Too bad McDavid couldn't put a couple of his glorious chances. He looked a bit timid tonight, but can't blame him. Winnipeg is one of the most physical teams around. Their whole team looks huge compared to ours.

 

[victor]

Some interesting comments coming from Rob Brown, considering his only significant career accomplishments came playing alongside Lemieux.

Well, if anyone would know...



That said, Rob Brown is trying to "create" media. It's the reason Spector has a job, and I put Brown right in Spector's wheelhouse.

 

[harpoon]

Ya, I don't care about people that played in the NHL at all.

They're often clueless or so biased it's embarrassing.

Is he going to rubbish the player like that (knowing that he works for the rights holder) if he thinks the team has Yakupov in their plans going forward? Or if he thinks the team is hopeful or encouraged by progress made in Yakupov's game this season?
Is he privy to information we don't have?
Does he have the chance to watch the Oilers practice?

I'm not saying Brown is the final authority obviously.
But based on the questions above, and the man's credentials, his opinions certainly carry more weight than mine or yours or any other random board member.

Rob Brown is very eager to point out Yakupov's faults and very slow to pick on Eberle.....

You just can't help making it about someone else can you?

 

[SDig14]

No kidding. Ex - P.J. Stock, Kelly Hrudey, Glen Healy, Nick Kypreos etc. etc.

Just because somebody has played in the NHL, that doesn't automatically make their opinion valid. Granted, Brown does make some good points about Yak. There's a reason why 5 coaches now haven't given him the keys to the top 6 (and yes, there were a lot of complaints about Krueger's handling of Yak as well).

With that said, Eberle isn't the answer either. I don't see the chemistry with McDavid at all and his play and effort away from the puck is excruciating to watch. I think he's as good as gone this offseason and we will hate the return (think Kessel level return).

Then there's no point to trade Eberle if that's the return you're going to get. You still need to score goals.

Eberle gets less heat because he can score 30 goals.

If Yakupov had a 30-30 season next year I doubt you'd hear as much about his turnovers, which I think have been fewer of late.