Quote:
Originally Posted by Weitz
Yah, I guess extended to an 82 game season: 29 goals 24 assists 53 points -7.
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It doesn't work like that; especially not for the season Yakupov had. He had 25 points in 45 games, and then went on a six-point tear to finish his rookie season. I have little doubt that he would not have sustained a .65 point/game average over the course of a full NHL season. It is actually much more likely that he would have produced closer to the much more modest .55 Point/game average that he compiled in games 1–45.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Weitz
What constitutes an amazing season for a rookie?
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Certainly more than 48 games.
As far as the topic at large is concerned, I believe that Yakupov, Schultz, and Paajarvi were rushed, but I don't think that Nugent Hopkins would have benefitted at all from returning to juniour for another year. The biggest problem with Oilers development is not that they have added a few players prematurely to their NHL roster. Their biggest problem is that their young players have been treated with carte blanch entitlement. I don't think that Nugent Hopkins would be any better had he spent another year in the WHL, but I do think that all their players would be much better had they not been so clearly singled out by management as the future of the franchise and with no real accountability.