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Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher
With Hall I agree that he was probably consensus over Seguin. RNH probably topped most teams lists but it wouldn't surprise me if Larsson, Landeskog or Huberdeau topped some teams lists. I don't think Yakupov was a consensus pick at all and we have info on the Flames (Galchenyuk) and Leafs (Reilly) who didn't have Yakupov #1. I would guess the Blue Jackets had Murray #1 overall. And the Islanders who offered their entire draft for the #2 pick probably had Murray #1 overall as well. Wouldn't surprise me if less than half the teams in league had Yakupov #1.
Certainly Yakupov is the most controversial of their picks. He was somewhat redudant with Hall and Eberle already on the team. He brings the Russian factor and that has already decreased his trade value since the draft. It would have been a perfect year for them to deal down and take a defenseman, just take Galchenyuk at #1 or just trade the pick.
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I don't think Yakupov was really a bad (or wrong) pick. I think too much is being made of him being a KHL flight-risk - the kid came over to play junior hockey in Canada. I think the KHL is there to help increase his pay as I am sure he will field a few offers from there when the time comes (which is a larger and more realistic problem than being a flight risk for teams selecting high-end Russians), but I would imagine the KHL is just a backup plan in case things don't work out for him in the NHL.
I do think that Galchenyuk would have been the better pick though - not only from an Oiler's POV, but as BPA. It would have been more of a risk though, as he was out for most of the season. What made me think that Gally was a better pick was something I read about when either of these guys were out of the lineup - Yakupov's points decreased a bit, but Gally's stayed fairly constant (obviously the season before the draft eligible one). Kind of like the "Howse/Horak" comparison. However, I do think that in time, Yakupov will be looked at as a solid selection.
I just think that the Oilers have done atrociously at the draft table over the years. When comparing the depth of the Oiler's prospect base to the Flames, it is atrocious. When thinking that the Flames were in 'win-now' mode much more lately than the Oilers and would trade away picks/prospects in an effort to win now, coupled with a less than stellar drafting history at least up until 2008-10 (arguable, as some people say they were still bad, but I see improvement)...it just makes you shake your head. A rebuilding team that didn't put enough resources (or good people, or both!) into drafting and development.
Having Hall, RNH and Yak, with a great late 1st round pick in Eberle SHOULD have been more than enough to get that club competitive again. It was their futility in surrounding these picks with better talent, and the development/coaching that set them back. These guys still don't know how to play a 200ft game, and don't have any support to win consistently in the NHL. It looks like they put all their resources into looking at the top 5 picks, without a care for the rest of the draft or something.