Nail Yakupov Never Should Have Been A First Overall Pick

Hindsight is 20/20, but sometimes, there are signs that scouts shouldn’t avoid. Now, I’m not saying my opinion is better than NHL scouts. Though seeing how hit and miss the 2012 NHL Entry Draft was, Yakupov never should’ve been in conversation to be selected first overall.

The Argument Against Nail Yakupov Being Drafted First Overall

When you have a player that is as defensively atrocious as Nail Yakupov, you shouldn’t be considering them as the first-overall pick. Even if you have conflicting opinions, a team that is already as defensively awful as Edmonton should have never drafted a forward who needed significant development defensively.

According to Mark Spector of Sportsnet, the Oilers head amateur scout Stu MacGregor asked the scouts to vote and left the room. Nine votes for Ryan Murray and two votes for Nail Yakupov, and one of Yakupov’s votes started as a vote for Alex Galchencyuk, then became a Yakupov vote.

Yakupov ended up being selected first overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. Compared to Alex Ovechkin, Pavel Bure, and many more to describe the expectations that were tagged alongside Nail Yakupov. However, Yakupov is the first overall pick that didn’t pan out.

While the Oilers never got a grip on their coaching situation during Yakupov’s tenure, which arguably hurt Yakupov’s development. However, Yakupov in Edmonton was not a match made in heaven, it was the furthest thing that you could imagine from said thing.

Canada’s major junior ranks were significantly weak, and players like Filip Forsberg could have been what Edmonton needed. Though, the blinders were on completely in the organization, and this is one of those first overall picks that the team will regret for years to come.

What Went Wrong With Nail Yakupov

Back in the early 2010s, it was a truly exciting time for Edmonton Oilers fans. The team was struggling, but first overall pick after first overall pick, the team had quite a bright future.

Like many who came before him, Yakupov came with some red flags. The two biggest issues that came alongside Nail Yakupov were his immaturity and cocky attitude; both of these were claimed by many teammates.

Related: Nail Yakupov Stats

These claims get further backed up by former Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke who claimed that Nail Yakupov was the worst draft interview that he ever had. Yakupov would put the cherry on top of his game by almost entirely forgetting to play defense. If you paid attention to Yakupov’s game, he would make you forget that he was a massive liability defensively by producing a few highlight-reel-worthy plays per game.

While we hammer home the point, we forget that Yakupov provided an impressive rookie season. Yakupov posted 17 goals and 14 assists for 31 points in 48 games in his 2012-13 debut season. This would be Yakupov’s best performance by a mile, even though he posted 14 goals and 19 assists for 33 points in 81 games during the 2014-15 season.

Yakupov’s game took a complete nosedive after he was traded to the St. Louis Blues for Zachary Pochiro and a 2017 third-round pick (#82 overall – Cameron Crotty).

In Yakupov’s career, he’s scored 62 goals, and 74 assists for 136 points in 350 games. The considerable majority of Yakupov’s points came from his tenure with the Oilers. Yakupov is also a career plus/minus of minus 88 and carries a penalty minute total of 142 PIMS. Yakupov posted a career-worst minus 35 in the 2014-15 season, though the season before that, he posted a minus 33, which was his closest to being a horrendous season.

The Russian winger would only play two seasons after his departure from Edmonton. Yakupov would play one season with the St. Louis Blues, as previously mentioned, and the Colorado Avalanche too.

Yakupov’s struggles to find his 2012-13 season form continued to haunt him throughout his entire NHL career. Yakupov would go back to the KHL in the 2018-19 season, where he would quickly find his solid form again.

Ever since Yakupov returned to the KHL, he has gone on three long playoff runs and been a significant contributor for SKA St. Petersburgh in 2018-19 and Avangard Omsk in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons.

Who Should Have Went 1st Overall Instead?

While you cannot blame 100% of a player’s struggles on the player, it is to be noted that draft picks, regardless of how high or low they’re selected, are never a guarantee. Ryan Murray, Alex Galchenyuk, and Griffin Reinhart were all drafted higher than they should have been, like Yakupov. However, as I previously mentioned, hindsight is 20/20.

If I had a time machine of some sort, I probably would’ve got the Oilers to draft Matt Dumba, Tom Wilson, or Jake McCabe. However, I have said many times that hindsight is 20/20.

The 2012 NHL Entry Draft is one of the NHL draft classes that is funny to look at 11 years later. We can easily say who should’ve gone when and where, but it’s definitely one of the worst in recent memory.

Final Thoughts

While Nail Yakupov could’ve become that impact player that the Oilers needed in the timeframe they drafted him, it should be known their prospect development was abysmal at the time. Had the Oilers had a solid prospect development situation, Yakupov could’ve easily had a far better NHL career, especially with the Oilers drafting Connor McDavid later on.

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