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Hurricanes Sign Jakub Nakladal To A One Year Contract

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After adding RW Martin Frk off of waivers earlier today, the Carolina Hurricanes continued to add to their roster, announcing the signing of UFA defenseman Jakub Nakladal to a one year, $600K contract.

Nakladal made his NHL debut last season with the Flames, playing in 27 games.  He picked up two goals and three assists in those contests, averaging 14:11 in ice time.  He also spent time with Calgary’s AHL affiliate in Stockton, suiting up in 35 games while collecting 14 points (2-12-14).

He recently suited up for the Czech Republic at the World Cup of Hockey, playing in all three of their games while being held off the scoresheet.  He logged an average of 21:03 in ice time in those matchups.

Calgary, among other teams had shown interest in Nakladal earlier in the offseason but on two-way deals.  However, the 28 year old had no desire to sign a two-way pact and intended to head back overseas if he couldn’t secure a one way deal.

With Carolina, it’s likely that Nakladal will battle with youngster Ryan Murphy for ice time on the third pairing.  As Murphy is expected to miss the first couple of weeks of the season, Nakladal should be able to get into the lineup pretty quickly with the hopes of making a good first impression.

[Related: Hurricanes Depth Chart]

Hurricanes Claim Martin Frk Off Waivers From Detroit

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The Carolina Hurricanes have claimed RW Martin Frk off waivers from the Detroit Red Wings, TSN’s Bob McKenzie was first to report.  Detroit had waived Frk yesterday in the hopes of assigning him to the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins.

Frk, originally drafted by the Wings in the second round (49th overall) in 2012, has yet to play at the NHL level.  Last season was his first full season at the AHL level after splitting the previous two campaigns between Grand Rapids and Toledo of the ECHL.  In 2015-16, he played in 67 games for the AHL’s Griffins, scoring 27 goals while adding 17 assists.

This marks the second time in three seasons that the Hurricanes have claimed a young Detroit forward off waivers after they added Andrej Nestrasil via the waiver wire back in 2014-15.

[Related: Hurricanes Depth Chart]

With Carolina, Frk will likely play in a bottom six spot or reserve to start as he works his way up the lineup.  The team is expected to have several youngsters on the wings and Frk will battle for one of those spots.

McKenzie adds in a follow-up tweet that there were as many as three teams that put in a claim for Frk but Carolina had the worst record last among those who placed a claim.  If the Hurricanes wish to send the 23 year old to the minors, they will have to re-waive him before being able to do so.

2016-17 Season Preview: Columbus Blue Jackets

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With the NHL season finally about to start this Tuesday, PHR makes its way towards finishing up our 2016-17 team previews. Next up: the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Last season: 34-40-8 (76 points), 8th in the Metropolitan Division, 15th in the Eastern Conference

Cap Space Remaining: $3.8MM according to Cap Friendly

Key Newcomers: C Pierre-Luc Dubois (draft, 3rd overall), C Sam Gagner (free agency, Philadelphia Flyers), D Scott Harrington (trade, Toronto Maple Leafs)

Key Departures: RW Jared Boll (free agency, Anaheim Ducks), LW Rene Bourque (PTO, Colorado Avalanche), C Michael Chaput (free agency, Vancouver Canucks), D Justin Falk (free agency, Buffalo Sabres), D Michael Paliotta (free agency, New York Rangers), RW Kerby Rychel (trade, Toronto Maple Leafs), D Fedor Tyutin (free agency, Colorado Avalanche)

Player to Watch: Sam Gagner – A once-promising career took an ugly turn after Gagner signed his last contract – a three-year, $14.4MM pact that led to a frustrating end in Edmonton and spanned disappointing stints in Arizona and Philadelphia – and now he looks to right the ship in Columbus with a new contract. The one-year, $650K deal has the makings of an absolute bargain for the Blue Jackets if Gagner can return to his career average of about 40 points. They may need him to do just that too. After trading Ryan Johansen and Artem Anisimov last year, an undeniable void was created at center for the Jackets. While they have high hopes for 2016 first round pick Pierre-Luc Dubois, as well as 2013 first-rounder Alexander Wennberg, Columbus has only Greg Campbell as a veteran option down the middle behind Brandon Dubinsky. Gagner could be asked to center the second or third line this season for the Blue Jackets, and will surely have a top nine role to start the season at least. A career resurgence would be beneficial long and short-term for both sides, but a repeat of his 16-point performance last season will greatly limit what Columbus is able to do on offense this year. Gagner’s contract is low-risk and high-reward, but his role carries far more weight than his contract would indicate. How it all plays out will be key.

Key Storylines: The Blue Jackets are set to begin the season with four former first-rounders on defense. While Jack Johnson has certainly established himself as an NHL star and the leader of the blue line in Columbus, it is the three more recent top picks that will make the difference this year and for years to come. Beginning his first full season with the team is young stud Seth Jones, who signed a six-year extension worth over $30MM this summer and will look to continue his ascent to NHL stardom. His teammate in Columbus and with Team North America is Ryan Murray, Columbus’ 2012 first-round pick. Murray led all Blue Jackets defenseman in points last season, but is still working on developing a complete defensive game. As of now, it looks like 2014 top pick Zach Werenski is set to join the team this season as well, and he too will bring great offensive talent, but will have his fair share of struggles in his own end. If the trio of young defenseman all play to their potential, then the Blue Jackets could have the best young defensive core in the league. However, if they hit a developmental wall, the result would be some major difficulties on the back end this season.

Should the Blue Jackets struggle this season, watch for several big names to potentially hit the trade block. The most predictable deal would obviously be Scott Hartnell, a player that Columbus has been looking to move for a while now. However, with a full re-build in progress, Hartnell is not the only veteran who could bring back some valuable picks and prospects. The aforementioned Johnson is now surrounded by up-and-coming young defensemen and may be seen as expendable for the right price. Cam Atkinson’s name seems to come up at the trade deadline every year, and this could finally be the season that he’s moved. Same goes for Matt Calvert and a potentially-resurgent Sam Gagner. The Blue Jackets are unlikely to be a playoff team this year, so some tough calls await GM Jarmo Kekalainen in 2016-17 about how to move forward with his re-build.

Blue Jackets Depth Chart

League Notes: Ovechkin, Olympics, Las Vegas, Gudas

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Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis is standing by his star player, pledging his support for Alex Ovechkin and his commitment to playing in the 2018 Winter Olympics, regardless of whether the NHL plans to participate. Ovechkin has officially stated that he plans to suit up for Russia in the next Olympics, with or without his NHL peers playing alongside him. In an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Alex Prewitt, Leonsis said that he hopes the NHL and IOC can come to an agreement on the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, but if they can’t, he is okay with Ovechkin or any of his players choosing to participate:

“The Olympics are incredibly meaningful to Alex and his family. So my commitment to them was, I will always do what’s in Alex’s best interest, and I said it 10 years ago, I’ll say it today: If Alex Ovechkin says this is really important to me to go represent and play for my country, I’m going to support him. What’s the worst that could happen? We’ll get fined or something. I hope it doesn’t get to that. But I’ve got to have my captain’s back, and I will.”

The IOC has given the league until January to make a decision on their participation, and with the pressure or high profile players and now an owner in Washington fighting for inclusion, the NHL may have to bite the bullet and commit to the 2018 Games. With Beijing, China and potentially Calgary or Salt Lake City after that as the two Winter Olympics following Pyeongchang, continued NHL participation seems likely, but skipping South Korea continues to be an option for the NHL. However, if many players plan to go regardless in 2018, the league may as well stay the course as Olympic participants.

Other news around the league:

  • The Las Vegas expansion franchise is set to finally reveal it’s name to the world on November 11th, according to NHL.com’s Nick Cotsonika. Owner Bill Foley shared that the name has indeed been chosen, as has the logo, and the team’s colors are in the final stages of becoming official as well. Everything will be made public in about a month, as Las Vegas will truly begin to transform from an idea to reality. It was previously reported that the team will likely take up either Golden Knights, Silver Knights, or Desert Knights, but with all the secretive strategy that has surrounded the process, don’t be surprised if another moniker is revealed on 11/11.
  • The NHL is reviewing a high, late hit on Bruins roster-hopeful Austin Czarnik in last night’s preseason finale between Boston and Philadelphia by, who else, Radko Gudas. This is the second time already this preseason that Gudas has had a bad hit along the boards reviewed, the first being on Ranger’s rookie Jimmy Vesey. This time though, Gudas seems more likely to be punished by the league, as Czarnik took a shoulder to the face well after he had passed the puck, and was forced to leave the game because of the hit. Bruins coach Claude Julien was especially critical of the hit, saying that “this seems to be happening to (Gudas) every game”. With a strong stance by one the league’s most well-respected coaches adding fuel to the fire, expect Gudas to miss some time and miss quite a few dollars after a decision is handed down this time.  The Department of Player Safety offered him an in-person hearing (which allows for a suspension of five or more games) but he declined and will have a telephone hearing on Monday (Twitter links).

2016-17 Season Preview: Carolina Hurricanes

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With the NHL season finally about to start this Tuesday, PHR continues to finish up our in-depth looks at each team and the focus now turns to a team that people are greatly under-rating in 2016-17, the Carolina Hurricanes.

Last season: 35-31-16 (86 points), 6th in the Metropolitan Division, 10th in the Eastern Conference

Cap Space Remaining: $16.9MM according to Cap Friendly 

Key Newcomers: LW Bryan Bickell (trade, Chicago Blackhawks), G Michael Leighton (free agency, Chicago Blackhawks), RW Viktor Stalberg (free agency, New York Rangers), LW Lee Stempniak (free agency, Boston Bruins), D Matt Tennyson (free agency, San Jose Sharks), LW Teuvo Teravainen (trade, Chicago Blackhawks

Key Departures: LW Nathan Gerbe (free agency, New York Rangers), D Michal Jordan (free agency, KHL), RW Brad Malone (free agency, Washington Capitals), RW Riley Nash (free agency, Boston Bruins), LW Chris Terry (free agency, Montreal Canadiens), D James Wisniewski (free agency, unsigned)

Player to Watch: Victor Rask – The 22-year-old Rask finished just three points behind Jeff Skinner for the team lead in points in 2015-16, and ended up tied with veteran center Jordan Staal. The Hurricanes rewarded him with a six-year, $24MM contract. If Rask continues to trend upward, then that deal will be one of the best bargains in hockey. If not, it could stymie a re-building franchise. All signs point to the former though, as Rask has played big minutes and put up solid numbers in each of his first two NHL seasons. Now expected to center the top line in Carolina, the pressure will be on for Rask to live up to role and lead his fellow young skill players. The Hurricanes have put together a great, young roster, and with Eric Staal gone, Victor Rask has the chance to be the young center that steps in to become the face of the franchise and lead the team to playoff success, just as Staal did over a decade ago.

Key Storylines: No one is expecting much of the Carolina Hurricanes in 2015-16. In fact, Las Vegas odds-maker Bovada has the ’Canes finishing last in the Eastern Conference, tied for the worst Stanley Cup odds in the league. So really, Carolina has nothing to lose. With few expectations, the pressure is off of the league’s youngest team. But should we really expect them to be bottom-dwellers?

In 2015-16, the Hurricanes finished tenth in the Eastern Conference, just seven points out of a playoff spot. They led the league in overtime losses with 16, meaning that if the goal had gone the other way in even half of those games, Carolina would have been a postseason team. They accomplished all of that while ditching veterans Eric Staal, John-Michael Liles, and Kris Versteeg along the way. Granted, those players helped them get to where they ended up, but the Hurricanes only lost five games in regulation out of the eighteen games following the NHL Trade Deadline. This goes to show that the young players in Carolina are willing and able to win.

Since the end of the season, it’s hard to find any way to say that the Hurricanes have gotten worse. Riley Nash was their only impact player lost in free agency, while they added consummate veteran Lee Stempniak on the open market and made a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks to bring in the young, skilled Teuvo Teravainen, as well as Bryan Bickell, who could get back to his better ways with the change of scenery. Add those difference makers to a top nine that features proven scorers Jordan Staal and Jeff Skinner, great young centerpieces Victor Rask and Elias Lindholm and a potential Calder candidate in Sebastian Aho, and Carolina seems far from a team that will struggle to put up points. On the back end, Justin Faulk leads a young defensive core that features Noah Hanifin, Jaccob Slavin, Brett Pesce, Ryan Murphy, and likely at least one of top prospects Haydn Fleury and Roland McKeown, while the Hurricanes boast one of the strongest goalie duos in the league in Cam Ward and Eddie Lack.

So where does the doubt come from? The fact of the matter is that only six skaters on the roster are over the age of 25 (Staal, Stempniak, Stalberg, Bickell, Jay McClement, Ron Hainsey) and a lot is riding on players without much NHL experience. Without the same level of veteran leadership throughout the season, that responsibility may show more in the stats and standings. However, the point still stands that this young team has proven they can win. They seem much more capable than the likes of New Jersey and Columbus in the Metropolitan anyway. There is no disputing that the future is bright for the Hurricanes. The question in 2016-17 is simply how close can they get to that success this early in the re-building process. The answer may surprise many. Stay tuned.

Hurricanes Depth Chart

Thomas Schemitsch Signs ELC With Florida

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The Florida Panthers announced that they have signed defenseman Thomas Schemitsch to an entry-level contract. The 19-year-old blue liner has been assigned to the Springfield Thunderbirds of the AHL, and gives the Panthers some depth and upside at the minor league level. The deal carries a $717.5K cap hit, with bonuses bringing the annual value to the $925K maximum for entry-level contracts and is for the maximum three years as well.

A 2015 third-round pick, Schemitsch is a physical player at 6’4″ and over 200 pounds, but also brings a layer of finesse to his game. While his size is key, Schemitsch is actually a very capable offensive defenseman. With above average skating ability, vision, and play-making ability for a player of his stature, Schemitsch has flown up the Panthers prospect depth chart. After putting up 49 points for the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack in his draft year, he had another 31 points in 2o15-16. With size, strength, and raw talent, Florida’s decision to bring him to the pro level early is one that will enable him to work with the Panther’s coaches in Springfield to further develop Schemitch’s defensive awareness and checking ability.

After trading defenseman Jonathan Racine today as well, Florida essentially replaces him with a similar-sized, but younger and much more well-rounded prospect in Schemitsch. While the top of the defensive depth chart in Florida is very strong, the bottom is hardly set in stone for the entirety of 2016-17 and beyond. Schemitsch joins a growing list of capable defensemen in Springfield, such as Jakub Kindl and Ian McCoshen, who will keep the pressure on the likes of Mark Pysyk and Steven Kampfer for a big-league role this year.

Panthers Acquire Tim Bozon

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One day after a young forward who had yet to play to his potential was traded away, in Nail Yakupov, the same situation has repeated itself. Though not exactly a #1 overall pick, Tim Bozon had long been considered a top forward prospect for the Montreal Canadiens. That changed today, when the 22-year-old winger was traded to the Florida Panthers in exchange for defenseman Jonathan Racine.

A third-round pick in 2012, Bozon looked like a steal for the Habs, after he turned in a 91-point junior season for the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League in 2012-13, outscoring many household names including 2014 #2 overall pick Sam Reinhart. However, a mid-season trade in 2013-14 to the Kootenay Ice seemed to throw off Bozon’s career trajectory. In his final two years of junior, now playing in Kootenay, he only put up point totals in the sixties, a steep drop from his breakout season in 2012-13. His woes hit a new low last year, as he took part in his first full pro season. In 41 games with the AHL’s St. John’s IceCaps, Bozon only had eight points, and was even demoted to the ECHL at one point.

Disappointed with the lack of production and development with their once-promising prospect, Montreal made the decision today to give Bozon a change of scenery, sending him to the Florida (or more accurately Springfield). They get back the 23-year-old defenseman Racine, who gives the Canadiens some defensive depth with a solid AHL contributor. While Racine has little to no offensive upside, he does play a smart defensive game and a hard-hitting, physical style of hockey. Trading away scoring ability for grit and toughness has been a theme of Montreal’s off-season, and it continues with this deal. The Panthers, on the other hand, hope to revive the career of a player with outstanding skating ability and a strong shot, who at one point looked like a sure thing as a future NHLer. If Bozon can work on playing a more complete game and not being pushed on the ice, this won’t be the last time you’ll hear of him.

Atlantic Division Notes: Richards, Foligno, Carlo, Heinen

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Many pundits consider the Tampa Bay Lightning roster to be among the deepest and most talented in the league. The team boasts a franchise player in Steven Stamkos along with plenty of skilled skaters – Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov and Jonathan Drouin to name a few – joining him up front. They have Victor Hedman to anchor the blue line with Anton Stralman to provide support. In goal Tampa Bay has two netminders capable of carrying a team through a lengthy playoff run.

If the Lightning have one weakness that could derail their Stanley Cup plans it could be an ineffective power play. Tampa Bay ranked 28th in the NHL in power play efficiency, converting just 15.8% of their opportunities. While the team elected to essentially avoid signing outside free agents in order to save their limited cap space for their own, one addition could go a long way toward fixing their power play, as Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times writes.

Smith notes that since joining the team as head coach, Jon Cooper oversaw the man-advantage unit but he has ceded those duties to newly hired assistant coach Todd Richards. Richards of course was head coach in Columbus before losing his job on the heels of an 0 – 7 start to the 2015-16 season. Cooper expects Richards to provide a “fresh look and fresh face” to the power play.

In Richards’ last full season at the helm in Columbus, the Blue Jackets tied for fifth in power play efficiency with a 21.7% success rate. While Smith reports Richards won’t be making too many changes with regard to system or personnel, the players have noted some subtle changes including an emphasis on shooting the puck.

A more potent power play could go a long way to helping the Lightning over the hump and Richards’ solid showing in that area while with the Jackets offers hope he can help in Tampa.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • It’s taken the better part of five seasons but it finally appears as if winger Marcus Foligno has found his niche with the Buffalo Sabres, writes John Vogl of The Buffalo News. After a rough start to the 2015-16 campaign, Foligno finished the year strong scoring eight goals and 16 points in his final 40 contests. He credited a mid-season conversation with the Buffalo coaching staff as helping him find consistency with his game: “I voiced my frustration a little bit. I remember talking to the coaches about ‘What can I do?’ and things like that. It was good. It was positive criticism, and then from there I never looked back. You’ve got to look at the man in the mirror sometimes, and that’s what I did.” Foligno, now 25, is expected to fill a spot in the Sabres top-nine and to provide leadership, grit and toughness. For his part, head coach Dan Bylsma noted the change in Foligno: “In the past, there was some fluctuation in his game, there was some inconsistencies from game to game and week to week. Marcus’ game can’t change and fluctuate. He has to be a hard guy to play against. He has to be a big, physical presence. He’s got to be a guy who plays on the inside. Marcus grew into that, and in the last 45 games delivered that on a consistent basis.”
  • A few Boston prospects are making a case to stick with the big club to start the campaign, as Joe Haggerty of CSNNE writes. As Haggerty reports, Bruins head coach Claude Julien and his staff are looking at a roster scenario that would include rookies Brandon Carlo, Danton Heinen and Austin Czarnik making the club. With an aging and thin blue line, the fact Carlo, a 19-year-old, right-shot defender is closing in on a roster spot should be of little surprise. But for Heinen, a 2014 fourth-round pick, to be on the verge of securing a regular job in the team’s bottom six is somewhat surprising. Czarnik’s chances likely hinge on whether or not the Bruins use David Backes on the RW on one of the top two lines or as the team’s third-line pivot. Though a strong performance for Providence in the AHL that saw Czarnik tally 61 points in 68 contests, suggests the Miami of Ohio graduate is close to, if not fully ready for NHL action.

Pacific Division Notes: Rodin, Gryba, Bennett, Coyotes Prospects

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In need of additional scoring punch up front, the Vancouver Canucks were hopeful Swedish winger Anton Rodin would earn a big league job and contribute some secondary scoring to the lineup. He has impressed during camp but now it looks as if his NHL debut will be postponed as the 25-year-old winger is experiencing soreness and swelling in his surgically repaired knee. Rodin suffered a severed tendon last year while playing in the Swedish Elite League and as Iain MacIntyre of the Province writes, it’s believed that Rodin has simply aggravated the knee by playing too much hockey in a relatively short period of time this preseason.

GM Jim Benning indicated Rodin will be held out of the lineup for up to a week to allow for rest and rehab.

“The injury got aggravated and so he’s going to have to take a step back. We’re going to give him a few days or week off here to get the swelling down, and from there just rehab so he’s a 100 per cent for us. We’re going to need him at 100 per cent.”

MacIntyre notes that Rodin is averaging a point-per-game through five preseason contests and has demonstrated an ability to protect the puck and to play in traffic against bigger opponents during exhibition games. The 2009 second-round pick has some experience in North America, skating in 111 games with Chicago in the AHL, scoring 14 goals and 41 points. He returned to Sweden in time for the 2014-15 season and would go on to win the Swedish League’s MVP in 2015-16.

Fortunately for Vancouver, the injury doesn’t appear serious and it looks as if Rodin will only be out a short time. It could threaten his availability to play in the season opener and as such, his absence could come into play as the Canucks look to finalize their roster.

Elsewhere in the Pacific Division:

  • After signing Kris Russell to a one-year contract, the Edmonton Oilers have given fellow blue liner Eric Gryba permission to speak with other clubs in an attempt to land a job, tweets Jason Gregor of the Edmonton Journal. This would seem to suggest Gryba, who is in camp with the Oilers on a PTO, will not make the Edmonton roster. If Gryba fails to find a spot in another organization, Gregor believes he could continue to skate with the team, though of course he would be doing so without a contract. Gryba spent the first three years of his NHL career with Ottawa before a 2015 trade sent the defenseman to Edmonton. He appeared in 53 games in 2015-16 with the Oilers and tallied one goal and six points.
  • It’s looking more and more likely the Arizona Coyotes will break camp with a few rookies among their ranks, writes Sarah McLellan of AZ Central. Dylan Strome was expected to make the team and fill a scoring line pivot role and has done nothing in camp to change that line of thinking. Recently he’s been skating with Lawson Crouse and Anthony Duclair on the team’s second line. Speaking of Crouse, the Coyotes value his grit and toughness though it’s still likely he doesn’t start the season with Arizona. Laurent Dauphin could force his way into a 4th line role and has evidently earned the trust of his teammates with his hard work. McLellan also notes the team is still giving looks to forwards Christian Dvorak and Christian Fischer along with blue liners Jakob Chychrun and Anthony DeAngelo. Whatever happens it seems quite possible that several rookies will be suiting up for the Coyotes in 2016-17.
  • Calgary Flames center Sam Bennett appears poised for a breakout campaign as a sophomore in the NHL, writes Wes Gilbertson of the Calgary Herald. Bennett, who scored 18 goals and 36 points in 77 games as a rookie, is already well on his way to earning the trust of new head coach Glen Gulutzan due to his responsible two-way play this preseason. The 20-year-old pivot has also made an impression on veteran winger Troy Brouwer, with whom he has skated with this preseason: “He’s a good player. He sees the ice well and he reads the game well, which is a tough thing and a unique thing to have, especially at 20 years old. I think he’s the type of player, under this coach, who is going to have a lot of responsibility and it’s really going to elevate his game.” Gilbertson notes that with Johnny Gaudreau still unsigned and not playing, Calgary has struggled putting the puck in the net scoring just nine times in seven games. If Gaudreau is out for any extended period of the regular season, Bennett could help fill the scoring void created by his absence.

Yakupov Trade Reactions

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For the second time in a few months Edmonton Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli has traded away a former #1 overall draft pick, sending RW Nail Yakupov to St. Louis in exchange for a minor league prospect and a conditional draft choice. At least when the team moved Taylor Hall, they did it to fill a dire need by acquiring right-shooting defenseman Adam Larsson. With yesterday’s trade of Yakupov, the Oilers simply appear to have made the best deal possible in order to satisfy both the player’s and team’s desire to move on from one another.

While Yakupov has failed to live up to his superstar billing, the trade is still notable on a number of fronts and there has been no shortage of opinions of the deal. Here’s a roundup of some of those reactions.

  • David Staples of the Edmonton Journal feels the two sides failed each other: Yakupov for his lackluster practice habits and for failing to work on his two-way game and the Oilers for too frequently playing the skilled winger with weak teammates. Ultimately Staples feels it was time to move on as it was made evident head coach Todd McLellan didn’t see Yakupov as “part of a winning equation.”
  • Considering the relatively low price paid to acquire Yakupov – Zach Pochiro and a conditional pick – the deal is a classic low risk investment for the Blues, as Benjamin Hochman of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes. Hochman compares the trade to that which sent another former #1 pick, Erik Johnson from St. Louis to Colorado. At the time of that trade, Johnson also had yet to live up to his lofty status as the top pick in his draft year, but since moving on to the Avalanche, he has developed into a pretty good defenseman. It should be noted that unlike the Oilers, the Blues received a sizable package in return that included Kevin Shattenkirk and Chris Stewart. Hochman also calculates that if Yakupov follows the same sort of career trajectory as Johnson, the Blues will be pleasantly surprised. He points out that even if the worst case scenario plays out – an output of 8 – 10 goals – then Yakupov will have sufficiently replaced the expected production of Vladimir Sobotka, who was expected to return to the NHL but now appears stuck in the KHL.
  • Even though the Oilers received very little in return aside from cap savings, Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Sun believes the trade is an instance of addition by subtraction. Matheson points out that the Oilers coaches simply did not trust Yakupov to play a responsible two-way game and that his offense simply wasn’t enough to offset his poor defensive play. The lack of consistent linemates also played a role in Yakupov’s struggles, according to Matheson, and although he found good chemistry with Connor McDavid for a brief time last season, McLellan was of the belief a former #1 overall pick should have been able to make the players around him better.
  • The Oilers may have sold low on Yakupov and in return did not acquire any assets likely to help the team today, but The Score’s Sean O’Leary says the team still has a brighter future today after the trade. O’Leary also argues that Oilers fans will soon forget Yakupov, even if the talented winger does realize his vast potential in St. Louis. Lastly, O’Leary reasons that with McDavid now leading the way and after trading away the likes of Taylor Hall and Yakupov, the Oilers have changed their culture for the better.

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