Speculation: What Teams Would Claim Yakupov Off Waivers?

[Alexander the Gr8]

What....

What I meant to say is that someone will take a chance on him, one way or another.

 

[Daniels45]

What I meant to say is that someone will take a chance on him, one way or another.

For sure.

 

[Riptide]

At 2.5 M I don't think some teams would. It's a cap world. Wild wouldn't, and they need forward talent...key word being talent. Someone would really have to believe in Yak in order to claim him.

That or have the cap space and a roster spot to give him a chance. But I still think it's more a matter of a team trading salary back vs EDM just getting a pick for him.

 

[VainGretzky]

My take on Yakupov watching his 1st season he looked exactly what he was billed at fast winger with a good shot but needed to learn defence and positioning , but you could see the raw skill. 2nd season Mac Dummy hires Eakins this idiot and worse coach ever decides he needs a whipping boy to make a example out of. So Oilers 1st game that season up 2 goals he benches Yak for turning over puck in 2nd period which did not even lead to a goal against.karma we lost that game. So Eaking continues to play mind games with Yak like benching him after scoring a goal by the time Eakins was done with Yak he totally destroyed the young Mans confidence.


After Eakins was fired we got the skilled Yak back under Todd Neison who was smart enough to see to put Yak with a veteran Center in Derek Roy Yak flourished was happy and was so glad to playing with Roy who Yak said helped his game huge. Then Oilers decide not to re- sign Roy and Yak is back to playing with players like Letestu . I think Yak is salvagable but this will never happen in Edmonton he need to go to a team with veteran coach and play with a veteran center. For his own good Oilers need to cut ties with him.

 

[Stephen]

I'd take him in Toronto. Normally even a bust of a first round pick is going to get a second and third chance just because of draft pedigree.

 

[The Great Weal]

Straight up for Desharnais

 

[Empoleon8771]

Yakupov is probably similar to Justin Schultz. He has no confidence right now and a change of scenery where he'd go to a team in a sheltered role would probably help resurrect his career. Oddly enough, Pittsburgh would make a lot of sense since Sprong isn't going to be playing with the Pens this year due to injuries. Yakupov would probably play on Malkin's RW as the 3rd line RW (2nd line is probably going to be HBK), if he can't work there, he can't work anywhere in the NHL.

 

[Riptide]

Wanna serve up a quote or link to justify that or just pull it out of your rear end?

Vs your obviously extremely credible opinion?

 

[Leafs87]

What I meant to say is that someone will take a chance on him, one way or another.

Oh yeah definetly I thought you meant if he clears waivers someone will trade for him

 

[CupsOverCash]

How about Filppula for Yak? I've heard you guys want a 3rd center. There's your guy. Plus he's only got 2 years left on his deal.

 

[Halla]

I can't see it being Toronto. They have as many or more forward decisions to make than Edmonton already. Also not sure if Babcock would have time for Yak

yeah most of those guys can be sent to the AHL though. If they only have to risk a guy like Leivo I could see it happening

 

[Riptide]

Kessel as a Leaf might have something to say about that.

Negative. Over the last 4 seasons the +/- looks like this:
Yakupov - 88
Schultz - 71
Stafford - 70
Ristolainen - 68 (in 194 games)
Ennis - 67
Lindholm - 60
Skinner - 60

The first "good" player from a team that doesn't (or didn't) suck is Marleau (which is surprising) at -41. Kessel was -32. Kesler -20.

On the positive side, the top guys were:
Toews +100, Kunitz +86, Marchand +85, Toffoli +84, Kopitar +80.

 

[Confucius]

I'm thinking Babcock wanted nothing to do with Kessel. If that's true, he sure as hell would want no part of Yak

 

[TLeafsFan]

Negative. Over the last 4 seasons the +/- looks like this:
Yakupov - 88
Schultz - 71
Stafford - 70
Ristolainen - 68 (in 194 games)
Ennis - 67
Lindholm - 60
Skinner - 60

The first "good" player from a team that doesn't (or didn't) suck is Marleau (which is surprising) at -41. Kessel was -32. Kesler -20.

On the positive side, the top guys were:
Toews +100, Kunitz +86, Marchand +85, Toffoli +84, Kopitar +80.

Yeah, so Yak's -88 in 4 years is bad. Wouldn't be so bad if he produced more offence.

Kessel did produce alot more offence. Still A -79 combined in his six years as a Leaf.

 

[Warden of the North]

I'd take him on the Leafs.

 

[friction]

How about Filppula for Yak? I've heard you guys want a 3rd center. There's your guy. Plus he's only got 2 years left on his deal.

Nah, we've got Draisaitl or Caggiula for 3C, C is not a need right now.

 

[danielpalfredsson]

Leafs have first waiver priority given their last place finish last season. They have a healthy stable of Russians and a situation where he could find a role. Not very often a 1st overall is waived this early, why not try?

He has a 2.5M cap hit. Leafs will have bonuses that they will want to ideally be able to cover. According to the Leafs cap page, they have 2M in real cap that can actually be used towards covering performance bonuses. LTIR cannot be used to cover bonuses so even know they technically have more cap space once they place guys on LTIR, I'm pretty sure that doesn't matter in respect to this.

I think the thing is that if a team wanted him badly enough, and he is going to be on waivers, they would have made a move to trade for him right now. Yakupov isn't exactly a free lunch because he makes about 1.8M more than your average cheap 2 way player. Cap space and salary isn't something most teams throw around.

I think he'll clear if waived but will be moved, maybe with salary retained in a change of scenery trade for another player, or at the very least a trade with the Oilers getting a mid-late draft pick to compensate them for retaining along with a 2 way contract to make up for the contract spot the other team is giving up.

From where Ottawa stands, if they thought they could do something with Yakupov, I could see something like Puempel for Yakupov with Ottawa maybe adding in a late pick for EDM to retain salary similar to what they (apparently) had to add in the Hemsky deal.

 

[GUY 10]

Straight up for Desharnais

Let;s add Therrien to the DD offer.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Oh yeah definetly I thought you meant if he clears waivers someone will trade for him

That's not unheard of. Sometimes teams won't take a guy on waivers because of salary, but they'll trade for him (after clearing waivers) either because they can send salary back or the team trading a guy will retain salary. The reason they don't trade for him before waivers is they don't want him that badly and don't want to really give anything of value up for him.

This happened with Jussi Jokinen twice. First, he cleared waivers with Tampa, but then Carolina traded for him by sending salary back (Melichar I think). He had some very productive seasons with Carolina before falling off (a ot of which I think was due to being mis-used under Muller). Canes then waived him, but there were no takers due to his salary so the Canes were able to trade him by retaining some salary.

There are other cases so teams do trade for a guy after clearing waivers. Not saying this would happen with Yak, but it's not unheard of.

 

[Boom Boom Apathy]

Negative. Over the last 4 seasons the +/- looks like this:
Yakupov - 88
Schultz - 71
Stafford - 70
Ristolainen - 68 (in 194 games)
Ennis - 67
Lindholm - 60
Skinner - 60

The first "good" player from a team that doesn't (or didn't) suck is Marleau (which is surprising) at -41. Kessel was -32. Kesler -20.

On the positive side, the top guys were:
Toews +100, Kunitz +86, Marchand +85, Toffoli +84, Kopitar +80.

So it pretty much means that players, especially young ones, on bad teams have the worst +/- and players on good teams have the best +/-.

 

[Blue Goose]

That's not unheard of. Sometimes teams won't take a guy on waivers because of salary, but they'll trade for him (after clearing waivers) either because they can send salary back or the team trading a guy will retain salary.

This happened with Jussi Jokinen twice. First, he cleared waivers with Tampa, but then Carolina traded for him by sending salary back (Melichar I think). He had some very productive seasons with Carolina before falling off (a ot of which I think was due to being mis-used under Muller). Canes then waived him, but there were no takers due to his salary so the Canes were able to trade him by retaining some salary.

There are other cases so teams do trade for a guy after clearing waivers.

Yeah, but with a player like Yakupov you'd have to think a number of GM's would take a chance on him since it wouldn't cost any assets and they'd be worried that another team would claim him. If a team didn't have room, they'd just put in the claim and make other moves to make it fit.

That being said, you'd have to think that Yak would go to the press box before he'd go to waivers. Waiving him would just be bad asset management by the Oilers. I understand "addition by subtraction", but you could always scratch him and wait for injuries to put him back in the lineup (or injuries to another team that could increase the trade demand for him).

 

[Talonted]

Get Ference off the books and Yakupov gone and the Oilers could afford to front load a contract for a good defenseman...

 

[The_Chosen_One]

I'd take him in Toronto. Normally even a bust of a first round pick is going to get a second and third chance just because of draft pedigree.

I say take him and his numbers should increase immensely with him being out of Edmonton.

 

[Anton Babchuk]

Yeah, but with a player like Yakupov you'd have to think a number of GM's would take a chance on him since it wouldn't cost any assets and they'd be worried that another team would claim him. If a team didn't have room, they'd just put in the claim and make other moves to make it fit.

That being said, you'd have to think that Yak would go to the press box before he'd go to waivers. Waiving him would just be bad asset management by the Oilers. I understand "addition by subtraction", but you could always scratch him and wait for injuries to put him back in the lineup (or injuries to another team that could increase the trade demand for him).

Yakupov's been bad for three seasons now and is apparently having a poor camp. If I'm an NHL GM, I'm wondering if Yakupov is an NHL player at all. I don't think that any team against the cap is going to take him at $2.5M and then try to make room for him by ditching guys who can presumably actually play in the NHL without getting torched, even if they don't have his mythical "potential". Remember that even if he's buried in the minors he'll still carry a $1.575M cap hit. If he doesn't work out, it's a problem.

Jokinen was only less than half a season removed from scoring 48 points and not being terrible defensively when he cleared waivers at $3M. He was vastly superior to present day Yakupov and the Hurricanes couldn't give him away.

The Oilers apparently couldn't get a 3rd round pick for at the draft before teams spent to their budget, but now - after another bad camp - teams pressed against the cap are going to line up to claim him and start dumping players to make room for him? I just don't see it.

 

[Seanaconda]

Yakupov's been bad for three seasons now and is apparently having a poor camp..

I think he's just injured he's been day to day with a lower body injury he might of played in the first pre season game ?