Yakupov was on pace for 53 pts as a rookie. So what happened?

[illpucks]

People here say Yakupov is the worst bust in a long time. But his rookie numbers are pretty good at 31 points in 48 games, or a 53 point pace. This is a better PPG than Hughes, Kakko, Hischier, Laf, etc. So why did he bust if he had the rookie numbers that he did?

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[Dust]

*insert Dallas Eakins picture*

 

[McYoungGuns]

Dallas Eakins is a very very very bad coach and might actually be brain dead

 

[Ninety7]

combination of bad hockey IQ and horrible coaching

Delicate player that probably needed better support than he got.

 

[Ctrain2k]

Dallas Eakins

 

[A1LeafNation]

Eakins ruined him

 

[Deadly Dogma]

I think he was just never that good, I got to see Hall a ton in jr and he was obv a 1st OA level player, next season I saw Landy a ton and thought for sure top 5 pick, then next year Yak comes along and people were saying he was a 1st OA talent and I never understood why. I think 2012 was soo depleted for forwards that mediocrity was celebrated

 

[Korpse]

Ralph Krueger was getting a lot out of him as well as others. Yakupov was a talented player but he never got to progress those skills because other coaches were trying to get more out of his under developed defensive game.

 

[Three On Zero]

The decade of darkness where Edmonton struggled to develop most of their prospects due to rushing them

 

[quesosauce]

his athletic talent and skill was wasted because he couldnt think the game fast enough to play it at the high end nhl level

also eakins

 

[Oilslick941611]

Couldn't skate and didn't have a brain.

 

[Deadly Dogma]

The decade of darkness where Edmonton struggled to develop most of their prospects due to rushing them

IMO they were a victim of consensus bias. Since Nail's previous jr season it was as tho he was the only option. On top of that there is still some hesitancy to take a D man 1st(outside of obv choice)

 

[Vukotal Recall]

I guess the real extended question -- for which I have no informed answer -- is what could Yakupov have become in a better situation for him, either with Krueger staying or being drafted by a different team? Because OP's point is that Yakupov demonstrated skill and significant tangible results in his first year, that indicated real potential long-term, even if he was obviously drafted far too high.

 

[isles55]

His SH% regressed to normal.

 

[Dust]

Couldn't skate and didn't have a brain.

His skating was fine, his lack of hockey IQ sunk him. Other than like a 20 game sample playing with a rookie McDavid, he didn't look like he had any chemistry with any of his linemates. He still could have become more had he not had Eakins as a coach.

 

[Spawn]

He wasn't strong enough, fast enough or skilled enough to play the style that saw him dominate in junior.

It just didn't translate to the NHL where the players were bigger, faster and smarter. All of a sudden he couldn't get open to get his shot off. He couldn't beat guys wide. He couldn't physically impose his will. And he unfortunately never learned to adapt his game.

 

[MessierII]

Dallas Eakins mostly. He was good on the power play. He always sucked 5 on 5 even that year but on the pp either with the one timer or around the net he showed some really good finish. Not sure how he lost that ability to score around the net.

 

[Ctrain2k]

His skating was fine, his lack of hockey IQ sunk him. Other than like a 20 game sample playing with a rookie McDavid, he didn't look like he had any chemistry with any of his linemates. He still could have become more had he not had Eakins as a coach.

He was good with Derrick Roy too, he needed a playmaking Center to set him up.

 

[Oilslick941611]

His skating was fine, his lack of hockey IQ sunk him. Other than like a 20 game sample playing with a rookie McDavid, he didn't look like he had any chemistry with any of his linemates. He still could have become more had he not had Eakins as a coach.

He couldn't skate. Also its easy to blame Eakins, maybe it was the language barrier, but he didn't seem to be open to being told what to do and would player how he wanted. rumblings of uncoachable surrounded him in the early years. He didn't stick with anyone afterwards either, I personally feel it was a combination of his lack of skating ability, no Hockey IQ and lack of a work ethic. Junior was too easy for him, the NHL too hard, maybe the AHL would have been good for him, but also maybe not, he didn't have the toolbox for his tools and also the Oilers scouted wanted to pick someone else, but the owner made sure Yak was taken.

 

[MessierII]

He couldn't skate. Also its easy to blame Eakins, maybe it was the language barrier, but he didn't seem to be open to being told what to do and would player how he wanted. rumblings of uncoachable surrounded him in the early years. He didn't stick with anyone afterwards either, I personally feel it was a combination of his lack of skating ability, no Hockey IQ and lack of a work ethic. Junior was too easy for him, the NHL too hard, maybe the AHL would have been good for him, but also maybe not, he didn't have the toolbox for his tools and also the Oilers scouted wanted to pick someone else, but the owner made sure Yak was taken.

Yakupovs skating was good that’s some major revisionism. Skating was not close to an issue he was quite fast and had good edge work. Skating was arguably his biggest asset as a prospect.

 

[StoveTopStauffer]

He is has a poor attitude and is too stubborn. He didn't think he needed to change the way he played from Juniors.

Say it was coaching is skirting by the real problem.

 

[Beerfish]

Yakupov is hardly the only guy this happened to with the oilers. They had a lot of young players that looked good early and got worse and worse.

 

[Dust]

Yakupov wasn't without blame either, he did have a lot of holes in his game, but his play took a huge nose dive under Eakins. I don't think anyone is predicting he'd have turned into an all star under a different coach, but I think it's possible he turned into a serviceable NHL player with better coaching.

 

[RipsADrive]

Burke mentioned in an interview that he had one of the worst predraft interviews of all time.

Had a lot of holes in his game that needed fixing and an attitude that wasn't really receptive to coaching.

 

[McDrailers]

Dallas Eakins yes, but he has 26 points in the KHL this year…he’s just not that good against men.