I don't know how he didn't score 200 goals a season just from doing this tbqh:
"I don't really like playing without the puck, skate all the time and do forecheck and hit somebody every shift...I don't think it's my game."
It's just all confirmation bias to explain why a player sucks in the NHL.Speaking of low IQ, people are saying "Edmonton ruined him". Er... no.
The Oilers' drafting has (basically since 1982) been a disaster, but player development is a different issue. It's easy to look at it now in retrospect (with 4 more non-playoff seasons in-a-row in the future after 2012, and 6 of 7 seasons after Yakupov's arrival) and say, "They rushed him in too quickly!" "They didn't let him develop!" But I bet at the time, back in autumn 2012, if the Oilers hadn't played Yakupov in the line-up, 95% of you would have been on here castigating that decision.
So, yes, we can say now that probably one year in the AHL would have benefitted Yakupov's overall development... but then again, maybe not? In his rookie NHL season, he led the Oilers in goals, and he had a great relationship with a coach he trusted and respected. If the Oilers had sent Yak to the minors for one year, then he would have arrived as an NHL rookie in 2013-14, with his first head coach being... Dallas Eakins.
Anyway, the Eakins hiring was obviously a disaster that did not work out, and that's on the Oilers' org. But around this same period the Oilers also drafted and developed Jordan Eberle, Taylor Hall, Tyler Pitlick, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Oscar Klefbom, Jujhar Khaira, Darnell Nurse, Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid, and Ethan Bear, and I'm not aware of any "development problems" with these players. Many exceeded expectations, and three won the Hart trophy.
Also, Yakupov has had almost a decade since he left Edmonton to (re-)establish himself, and... he's done nothing of note for St. Louis, Colorado, or in the KHL.
Mostly just a few Flames fans saying it.Speaking of low IQ, people are saying "Edmonton ruined him". Er... no.
The Oilers' drafting has (basically since 1982) been a disaster, but player development is a different issue. It's easy to look at it now in retrospect (with 4 more non-playoff seasons in-a-row in the future after 2012, and 6 of 7 seasons after Yakupov's arrival) and say, "They rushed him in too quickly!" "They didn't let him develop!" But I bet at the time, back in autumn 2012, if the Oilers hadn't played Yakupov in the line-up, 95% of you would have been on here castigating that decision.
So, yes, we can say now that probably one year in the AHL would have benefitted Yakupov's overall development... but then again, maybe not? In his rookie NHL season, he led the Oilers in goals, and he had a great relationship with a coach he trusted and respected. If the Oilers had sent Yak to the minors for one year, then he would have arrived as an NHL rookie in 2013-14, with his first head coach being... Dallas Eakins.
Anyway, the Eakins hiring was obviously a disaster that did not work out, and that's on the Oilers' org. But around this same period the Oilers also drafted and developed Jordan Eberle, Taylor Hall, Tyler Pitlick, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Oscar Klefbom, Jujhar Khaira, Darnell Nurse, Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid, and Ethan Bear, and I'm not aware of any "development problems" with these players. Many exceeded expectations, and three won the Hart trophy.
Also, Yakupov has had almost a decade since he left Edmonton to (re-)establish himself, and... he's done nothing of note for St. Louis, Colorado, or in the KHL.
He was a bad player who likely lied about his age which made him seem better in juniors than he was.
Honestly, I think he was another one of those Russian players whose age was a lot higher than normal but was listed as 18. Because from watching his junior highlights he would be a player that'd look good in the AHL but never in the NHL.
Yakupov and other Russians playing on a false birth certificate would be about as likely as Macklin Celebrini being secretly 23 years old and playing on a false birth certificate.Lots of Russian players. Don't know if true, but I read Grigorenko was actually 25 when he got drafted. Don't know the actual ages, but Ovechkin, Panarin, Kovalchuk, and more are older than they actually were.
Honestly, I think he was another one of those Russian players whose age was a lot higher than normal but was listed as 18. Because from watching his junior highlights he would be a player that'd look good in the AHL but never in the NHL.
But all together he was just very cocky.
There is definitely some truth to this. He played like MacKinnon in the OHL, and people didn't really question if it was going to work in the NHL and expected it would. He had the stats, the flashy plays, he was even physical and was supposed to end up being a stocky 5'10 or 5'11 and still be able to use his strength in the NHL.Yakupov is MacGinnon with worse physical talents. Both players who wanted to do one thing and one thing only.
No secondary plan. No subtetly to their play.
Difference is even if the entire rink knows MacGinnon is going to try to skate into 3v1 coverage and go by every he is good enough to get away with it often enough. Yakupov wasn't good enough to just skate through NHL level defense.
I never said "other Russians" I said him cuz his player profile reads like it.Yakupov and other Russians playing on a false birth certificate would be about as likely as Macklin Celebrini being secretly 23 years old and playing on a false birth certificate.
Where do people just get off making up stupid lies like this? Russian birth certificates are well kept records. A player cannot just lie about their age.
Brule was a bit different, his physical style was tough to maintain with his size but it was more the wear and tear and injuries plus off ice issues that really derailed his progress... He actually looked like he was coming along well and he had a compelling package of skills, reminded me of a more skilled Ryan Callahan almost. Once he had the knee on knee hit and the concussion it was tough for him to bounce back plus he was on an awful tanking dysfunctional Oilers team at the time. Real shame to be honest, I always liked his potential.There’s an inherent risk drafting these small crash and bang skilled forwards. Another older case was Gilbert Brule. When I saw Yakupov in Sarnia, I could tell this was risky but no one was talking about it. So I just followed the flow like everyone else. Probably many believed the same thing but no one spoke up.
Speaking of low IQ, people are saying "Edmonton ruined him". Er... no.
The Oilers' drafting has (basically since 1982) been a disaster, but player development is a different issue. It's easy to look at it now in retrospect (with 4 more non-playoff seasons in-a-row in the future after 2012, and 6 of 7 seasons after Yakupov's arrival) and say, "They rushed him in too quickly!" "They didn't let him develop!" But I bet at the time, back in autumn 2012, if the Oilers hadn't played Yakupov in the line-up, 95% of you would have been on here castigating that decision.
So, yes, we can say now that probably one year in the AHL would have benefitted Yakupov's overall development... but then again, maybe not? In his rookie NHL season, he led the Oilers in goals, and he had a great relationship with a coach he trusted and respected. If the Oilers had sent Yak to the minors for one year, then he would have arrived as an NHL rookie in 2013-14, with his first head coach being... Dallas Eakins.
Anyway, the Eakins hiring was obviously a disaster that did not work out, and that's on the Oilers' org. But around this same period the Oilers also drafted and developed Jordan Eberle, Taylor Hall, Tyler Pitlick, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Oscar Klefbom, Jujhar Khaira, Darnell Nurse, Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid, and Ethan Bear, and I'm not aware of any "development problems" with these players. Many exceeded expectations, and three won the Hart trophy.
Also, Yakupov has had almost a decade since he left Edmonton to (re-)establish himself, and... he's done nothing of note for St. Louis, Colorado, or in the KHL.
I never said "other Russians" I said him cuz his player profile reads like it.
Me too but I thought Galchenyuk would be a stud and Murray would be a rock solid top 4, 2 way guy for 15 years so…There’s an inherent risk drafting these small crash and bang skilled forwards. Another older case was Gilbert Brule. When I saw Yakupov in Sarnia, I could tell this was risky but no one was talking about it. So I just followed the flow like everyone else. Probably many believed the same thing but no one spoke up.
Yes and no. Yakupov definitely wasn't as good as advertised, but he easily had NHL-level skills. He just couldn't show it due to lack of confidence, hockey sense and overall mental fortitude. As you pointed out, he was even to shy to speak to his only Russian teammate, because of their age difference. And people were calling him cocky because of goal celebrations.The main problem with Yakupov's NHL career was that he simply wasn't an exceptional hockey player. I really don't know what the Oilers (in that awful Steve Tambellini period) were thinking. Sure, he was likely to go in the first round to somebody, but as a 1st overall choice, he was an odd one. I remember watching him play -- it was, like, his third NHL game or something -- and my opinion after one game was, "This guy sucks". And nothing I saw over the next few seasons altered my opinion. (And he actually had a statistically decent rookie year, but I thought he was a whole lot of nothing.) Yakupov was a good skater, but so what? So are 90% of NHL-ers. He had terrible hands and could not process hockey at NHL speed.
Yeah, I can picture a 20-year-old Grigorenko playing against 13-year-olds Or people suddenly forgetting that Ovechkin's mom is a well-known athlete and high-profile personality, so persuading everyone that her son was born years later than everyone remembers would be... impossible?Lots of Russian players. Don't know if true, but I read Grigorenko was actually 25 when he got drafted. Don't know the actual ages, but Ovechkin, Panarin, Kovalchuk, and more are older than they actually were.