in his short career thus far at the nhl level my observations is that yakupov a) doesn't have an elite level hockey IQ, b) has a game style similar to ovechkin except that he doesn't have the speed/size/shot/skill or general amount of talent as ovechkin.
That style's ability to create results been marginalized for ovechkin, so i don't see yakupov being all that great given that he's no where near the talent level of ovechkin.
add to the fact that he's already publically shown a pretty immature behavour and character, by having rumours of wanting to be traded, etc, when the coach doesn't give him the ice time he wants.
This is just going down the route of another reason why the oilers are no good. Eakins has now rubbed 2 of their #1 picks in the wrong way where there has been public displays of annoyance/frustration between the player and the coach. yet poor mact is stuck having to back his bad decision on the team's coach. One one hand they need a coach who will push the message of accountability and earning your keep, yet by the same token the coach, and at the end of the day, the team's results, will be a function of how well the star players do on the team.
Handing spots to their top prospects rather than having them earn it, earning their ice time once in the NHL, and not sending a guy down to dominate his junior/AHL leagues and the world juniors, are part of the philosophy of the oilers.
you could definitely argue that monahan could have been sent down also, but he actually showed that he was the 3rd best center in the flames organization. Bennet doesnt' have that luxury this camp, as he'll be battling backlund/stajan/monahan/granlund/reinhart/knight and have to prove he's at worst the #3 guy on that list.
I'm liking everything i'm hearing from flames management, that bennet/gaudreau would have to play himself on the team thru a shocking camp. It's an obvious choice to lean towards him playing in junior heading into camp.
|