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Re: Yakupov Interview [message #825460 is a reply to message #825454 ]	Mon, 18 September 2023 11:45

Kr55
Messages: 12871
Registered: May 2002
Location: Edmonton

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inverno76 wrote on Mon, 18 September 2023 10:12

Adam wrote on Mon, 18 September 2023 09:57

inverno76 wrote on Mon, 18 September 2023 08:28

The earlier comparison of Vinnie and Yakupov doesn’t translate.

Desharnais is 27 and has played parts of 6 seasons in the ECHL and AHL. This is how you draft, nurture and support a draft pick. Big Vin after his 1st NHL season has the ability to and awareness to be better due to maturity and organizational development.

As much as Nail hurt himself, it was up to the team to identify his needs and get him to the highest level he could attain with support. It’s true that you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink, but if you don’t give the horse a watering hole then he’s got no choices other than dying or escaping to greener pastures.

Who was comparing Desharnais to Yakupov? I missed that one. Extremely tough comparison.

I agree though - you can't simply say "this is a 1st overall pick, ergo he should be able to jump in to the NHL right away and know what he's doing." They all have development points and they all require coaching and training. And an 18-year old kid is going to have more to learn - even if he's very talented - than a 27-year old, including a ton of lessons away from the game. If he's not from here, doesn't feel super comfortable with the language, etc...well, that only exacerbates it. In the last few years, the Oilers have completely wasted two high picks (if not more - Magnus Paajarvi's career trajectory was pretty similar) because they didn't realize that they need to work to make sure young players are adjusting well to life as an NHL player.

It's not that I don't understand Joe Everyman saying "hey, these guys have it great! They're getting paid a fortune to play a game! Girls swoon at their feet. They get free stuff all the time! They should suck it up and just be good at hockey!" It's just that that extremely simple-minded point of view forgets that they are very young and it's a whirlwind around them and if you're managing a hockey team and investing top picks and a ton of money in them, and if some level of your success depends on their development? Then you shouldn't have that Joe Everyman attitude and instead should find some level of empathy - even if it's just self-interested empathy even!

Quote:

That is one simple example that I used. But this in my opinion is the same if a team identifies they need to improve their skating or their puck skills. A team can tell the guy here is what you need to improve on this offseason but it's up to the player to do the physical work. That could mean hiring a skating coach or a skills coach. I heard on 1440 that apparently Big Vinnie identified and I am sure the team told him at the end of the season, he needed to improve his puck skills. So what did he do, he got with a skills coach and worked on it all summer. If Big Vinnie was told you need to improve your puck skills, then did nothing about it. I think it's BS to blame the team. The players are the ones that have to do the work, that's their freaking job. They are the ones that have to go to the gym and work on their game. It's not the teams job to follow these guys around 24-7 like a parent with a toddler and forcing them to do things. These are grow ass men. If they are told 'here is what we need you to do' they better freaking do it. That's their bloody job.
-RDOF

I always try to remind myself that these drafted kids are only 18, and regardless of their skill levels there will always be outside influences that can change their career trajectories. Maturity comes with experiences and role modelling of behaviours. These NHL teams that continue to fail at providing support for these kids are not doing themselves any favours. People are not a one-size fits all, and the Oilers lack of player development in the past identifies that they were probably not being as careful with their assets as they should have been.

The young player has to assume the blame for not reaching their potential, but the team has to be honest with themselves and understand that the failure reflects back on to them. The Decade (and a half) of Darkness had many massive egos behind the bench and in the front office. At the end of the day, just because someone can legally vote and make a great income in a sport does not make them a "grown assed man".

At the least we could have built up Yak into a good trade chip. Krueger babied him pretty nicely. Played him on the left so he could more easily assist playing pucks on the boards in his own zone to not be a complete liability. He gave him chances on the PP to shoot to keep up his confidence. There were major holes in his game, probably in 2/3 of the ice surface, but there were still ways to keep him positive and he was clearly able to shoot well enough to be useful in some situations.

Then, he goes 3 years basically without being allowed to take a 1-timer. God's gift to coaching decided this boy needs to be able show he can play like a seasoned 2-way vet before he can get another pure offensive opportunity. He was going to be his next Kadri! For some reason TO media and fans bestowed all credit for Kadri's drive for self improvement on the brilliant Eakins who told everyone he took Kadri under his wing. I thinks Eakins believed the story more than anyone, except maybe MacT.

I don't think Yak's career could have gone any worse after that first season. He can take blame for just not being that good. Peak of his ability was probably ok 2nd liner 5v5 that needs a good defensive C and PP shooting specialist. Would probably have needed sheltering by his coach his whole career. Obviously we take blame for terrible handling of what should have been a very valuable asset. We let a guy that was worse at coaching than Yak was at hockey get free rein to just murder the confidence of almost every player on our team, which obviously would hit a very young struggling player with the pressure of being a #1 pick harder than most. Todd Nelson actually got Yak going again, but Yak got rugged on that situation too. McLellan was not at all a fan.

[Updated on: Mon, 18 September 2023 11:50]

"We need to get better immediately. That starts today"
- Lowe, 2013

"Next year I would forecast as another developmental year"
- MacT, 2015

5 x $5,000,000

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Yakupov Interview	By: Adam on Fri, 08 September 2023 10:15
Re: Yakupov Interview	By: RDOilerfan on Fri, 08 September 2023 14:09
Re: Yakupov Interview	By: Adam on Fri, 08 September 2023 15:39
Re: Yakupov Interview	By: RDOilerfan on Fri, 08 September 2023 16:31
Re: Yakupov Interview	By: NetBOG on Fri, 08 September 2023 17:18
Re: Yakupov Interview	By: Kr55 on Fri, 08 September 2023 19:21
Re: Yakupov Interview	By: RDOilerfan on Mon, 11 September 2023 08:26
Re: Yakupov Interview	By: Dragon_Matt on Mon, 11 September 2023 10:41
Re: Yakupov Interview	By: Mike on Tue, 12 September 2023 06:56
Re: Yakupov Interview	By: Adam on Mon, 11 September 2023 10:55
Re: Yakupov Interview	By: CrusaderPi on Mon, 11 September 2023 12:47
Re: Yakupov Interview	By: RDOilerfan on Mon, 11 September 2023 13:17
Re: Yakupov Interview	By: Adam on Mon, 11 September 2023 14:01
Re: Yakupov Interview	By: Rutuu on Mon, 18 September 2023 18:50
Re: Yakupov Interview	By: inverno76 on Mon, 18 September 2023 08:28
Re: Yakupov Interview	By: Adam on Mon, 18 September 2023 09:57
Re: Yakupov Interview	By: inverno76 on Mon, 18 September 2023 10:12
Re: Yakupov Interview	By: Kr55 on Mon, 18 September 2023 11:45
Re: Yakupov Interview	By: Adam on Mon, 18 September 2023 13:50

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