There are countless legit goal scorers who never made much of their time in the NHL.
Panel Brendl was as legit a goal scorer as they come. He had 22 career points in the NHL.
The difference is that Yakupov has proven, to the extent he has had the opportunity, that he can score at the NHL. Absolutely still could be a flash in the pan but that kind of drop off is rarely found in 1st overall picks. His play may be poor in his 4 games this year but he is clearly being targeted as the whipping boy here.
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All hockey players are bilingual. They know English and profanity - Gordie Howe
I've thought that way for years (although Galchenyuk is changing my opinion slightly. Maybe it's because he was born in Wisconsin).
well Galchenyuk is different because he also chose to play for USA internationally ... doesn't see himself Russian I guess, plus never played overseas. To be fair I also thought that Yakupov was a "safe" pick because he played in the OHL for two years prior to being drafted.
Easier to scapegoat a Russian than one of the Canadian golden boys.
LOL
Yes it is because he is Russian that he is getting benched and not because of the moronic "I don't have to skate, hit or play defense" comment.
Schultz may be sucking but it is doubtful that his attitude is close to that bad.
I don't know why they would sit Hall at least he is trying to do something out there unlike Eberle who looks like he will only try if the other 4 guys set him up for an empty net tap in. Plenty of passengers so far this year for the Oilers Hall is one of the few, maybe only top 6 guy, that appears to give a damn.
Scratched against Ovechkin and the Caps? There are a lot of things that motivate players, playing against the Russian godfather would be one of them. One game in the press box was more than enough, IMO.
Eakins might be waiting for the Oilers to win, to deliver the "see, we can win without you" message. Might be waiting a long time, LOL.
Yes it is because he is Russian that he is getting benched and not because of the moronic "I don't have to skate, hit or play defense" comment.
Schultz may be sucking but it is doubtful that his attitude is close to that bad.
I don't know why they would sit Hall at least he is trying to do something out there unlike Eberle who looks like he will only try if the other 4 guys set him up for an empty net tap in. Plenty of passengers so far this year for the Oilers Hall is one of the few, maybe only top 6 guy, that appears to give a damn.
He might try but it does not change the fact that Hall might be the least intelligent player in the NHL.
Yeah, Hall has pulled his fair share of boners this year, but the guy does give seem to give a damn. If anything, he seems to be trying to do a little too much sometime... at least in the offensive zone.
Ive watched about 3 of the Oilers games so far, and Eberle has been about as invisible as Bourque was when the Habs came to town.
The only thing he ever really seems to do is fly down the wing and either toe drag to the middle or fire off a shot.
What else is he supposed to do he is working with virtually nothing out there.
Maybe now that RNH is back he will have someone else to work with but the way other guys have been playing for the Oilers this season I find it hard to blame the one guy trying out there for not using the bums standing around watching him.
Scratched against Ovechkin and the Caps? There are a lot of things that motivate players, playing against the Russian godfather would be one of them. One game in the press box was more than enough, IMO.
Eakins might be waiting for the Oilers to win, to deliver the "see, we can win without you" message. Might be waiting a long time, LOL.
Maybe they want him to watch Ovechkin compete and skate hard and hit??
I think the Oilers are actually doing a good thing here. I wonder what Eakins had to do to get authorization from the clowns upstairs to do this, cause I doubt they'd endorse it.
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Calgary Flames, PLEASE GO TO THE NET! AND SHOOT THE PUCK! GENERATING OFFENSE IS NOT DIFFICULT! SKATE HARD, SHOOT HARD, CRASH THE NET HARD!
I think benching him is the right move too, but this is just confirmation of why he was a bad pick at #1 overall, which is why I'm happy . If Eakins says he doesn't have a spot for him in the top 6, then why did they draft him? Why did they go and get a guy like Perron?
I guess that's another problem with drafting Russian players. Some time in the AHL (the league, not the oilers) is exactly what Yakupov needs, but he's already had a taste of the NHL, so it's either that or the KHL.
[B]Maybe they want him to watch Ovechkin compete and skate hard and hit??[\B]
I think the Oilers are actually doing a good thing here. I wonder what Eakins had to do to get authorization from the clowns upstairs to do this, cause I doubt they'd endorse it.
. If Eakins says he doesn't have a spot for him in the top 6, then why did they draft him? Why did they go and get a guy like Perron?
