Quote:
Originally Posted by CliffFletcher
Yakupov may not have been a consensus #1 OA, but he was a consensus top-3. The Oilers didn't go off the board drafting him.
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true. Still, of the top prospects available, Yakupov was probably the worst fit for them. They had already drafted a franchise winger in Hall, and Eberle had just come off a 34 goal/76 point season. They had zero need for another small winger with no 200 ft game. Their scouts wanted Murray, there was a talented center in Galchenyuk (who the Flames had at 1, IIRC) available, there was another talented defenseman in Reilly (who the Leafs had at 1, IIRC) available. It was a wide open draft and the smart play would have been to either listen to the scouts and pick Murray, or draft down. Instead, they took the flashy shiny toy because Katz said so. It doesn't take hindsight to criticize that decision, a lot of people did so back then as well.