Recall again the Oilers didn't figure out for a 2 years they they should help his tougher than usual transition with an interpreter.
https://twitter.com/user/status/955112307410984961
It really is brutal the organizational hubris and subsequent incompetance that ruined so many players in that organization.
As 18 - 20 year olds left to your own devices, with no support from a team that couldn't attract leaders, and no support from the organization to provide basics to set them up for a sucess since the organizational mandate from the President who just assumed skill would get them though like it did from 1981-1991, ignoring off ice needs and intangibles, is negligent.
The look on McDavid's face on lottery day is indicative of that. He knew he was walking into somewhere where it only did he have no mentoring, he was going to be asked to mentor.
Players like Yakupov or Pull-Rv or even lesser known players didn't stand a chance in the league, in how they were failed by that trash organization under Lowe as their most critical and crucial development years were wasted..in Pull-Rv's case, distracted by something as basic as not fully understanding the language. Shame on the Oilers and the PA as well for allowing such basic necessities to go unattended to...it set him back years and here we are, out of the league as Yakupov was becuase of similar issues the Oilers didn't want or feel the need to address at the most important time of a young players career and stage of life.
The preservance to fight through it and make a career in the league like Hall, Coglinao and Eberle etc did is pretty admirable, becuase the organization left them completely exposed and unsupported as teenagers to the unforgiving NHL and NHL life.
Said before, but McDavid has won a couple cups by now and has scored probably more points if he had even the most basic support system somewhere else, similar to Crosby did with the Pens when he was drafted.