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With the constant rumors surrounding Nail Yakupov, and of course the Toronto Maple Leafs being involved in just about every trade discussion, I thought I would comment on some rumblings that the Leafs should make a move with the Oilers involving Yakupov.
As the blog title offers, the Oilers first overall selection from 2012 shares similarities to a certain Toronto defenseman which fans can relate to - #FreeGardiner. Experiencing problems of his own while trying to break into the lineup, Leafs defenseman Jake Gardiner was often sat and or sent to the AHL Marlies to work on his game which the coaching staff felt was not at par in terms of what an NHL defenseman of his age should offer.
Several fans and hockey analysts disagreed with how it was being handled and felt that the Leafs should either play the young defender who was thought to have a ton of potential, or trade him. Still a part of Toronto’s roster and currently playing an average of 19 minutes per game, Gardiner has arguably won over the trust of his coach and fans. With that being said, however, there are still many fans out there who feel that Gardiner is the most likely candidate to be moved by Toronto this year.
How does this relate to Nail Yakupov? Well, for those who do not follow the Oilers closely(or any sports network for that matter), Yakupov’s agent has recently stated that he and his client are fed up with how Nail has been treated so far this year and that if the team doesn’t want to play him, that he should be traded. As a result of such comments, we are now experiencing a very similar situation as we saw with Jake Gardiner and the Leafs; young player being sat/demoted = trade!
Is there potential for a trade between the two teams where each have a young player who may not fit in with their respective rosters but could be helpful to the other? Given that the Oilers have recently acquired Ilya Bryzgalov, I would hope that the Reimer to the Oilers discussions should cease, leaving only the thought of moving Jake Gardiner who played some of his best hockey next to Justin Shultz.
While I am sure there are a ton of fans from the Toronto Maple Leafs organization who would love to get their hands on Nail Yakupov, it simply won’t happen. The reasoning behind this, at least for me, is two-fold. The most important part of these trade discussions to consider is that the Oilers would be foolish to move a very promising young player in Yakupov at this point in his career, to only watch him a few years down the road end up being a big part of his new team.
Moving a player while he is still trying to find his game and could be valued lower than he should be as a result of it isn’t something that too many teams do. It’s just not wise…though I do maintain that the Oilers need to do something soon as they continue to struggle, but that’s a whole other topic.
On a side note, I was discussing the Yakupov situation with our fellow blogger Adam French yesterday and he made an interesting point – Eakins and Euro players do not seem to mix very well. There were a few instances in Toronto with the Marlies and now most recently with Edmonton as it appears a guy like Yakupov is being sat over others who are equally struggling. Additionally the Oilers recently moved Ladislav Smid who wasn’t being effectively used on the roster. Just an added piece for discussion, but perhaps Eakins has a problem working with guys from overseas?
I digress.
Secondly, the Toronto Maple Leafs do not need to be spending quality assets on trying to acquire a guy like Yakupov. While I suppose it sounds silly to say that a team should not try and acquire a very promising young player such as Nail, Toronto is currently in a position where they have a few assets which they could afford to move, and a right winger is not an area of concern.
As such, there has been a lot of conversation of late about the Toronto Maple Leafs looking for impact players to add to their injury plagued roster, especially down the middle where they continue to struggle (25th in FO%). Known to be in constant discussion with Leafs brass, Darren Dreger recently stated that Toronto has been in conversation with the Dallas Stars about 33 year old centerman Vernon Fiddler.
According to Bob MacKenzie, Fiddler approached the Stars and requested more ice time and responsibility with the team, and if they couldn’t provide it, that they moved him. Shortly after the comment was released to the media, Dreger responded by stating:
"The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of those teams that have had discussions with Dallas about Fiddler. Toronto’s a little bit concerned about his age and the money, but the Leafs are looking for something."
With Dave Bolland expected to be out for quite some time with a severed tendon, Toronto is missing some veteran presence down the middle despite recently calling up Jerred Smithson. With a guy like Fiddler you are getting a slight upgrade on Smithson; a guy who can win draws, be defensively responsible, play the PK, and add some leadership to the room.
The question then becomes – is trading an asset for Fiddler worth a slight upgrade over Smithson? For me the answer is quite clear; no, it’s not. Moving any assets to acquire Fiddler is nothing more than a short term solution to their problem as the moment that Bolland returns, he then becomes expendable.
What Toronto should be focusing their efforts on is acquiring a solid shut down defender and or impact forward. Someone who will be part of their long term goal and can fit in with the current roster. While adding more “depth… to the center position is never a bad idea, Fiddler doesn’t scream “upgrade… to me despite what he can offer.
That said, Toronto arguably has two players who I feel they can afford to move, not out of necessity or because they are not finding success with the Leafs, but because I feel as though they are slowly being replaced. The two names, of course, are Jake Gardiner and James Reimer.
I hope to not take too much flack for mentioning Reimer given that he has been playing quite well, but Toronto can use a few upgrades and to me, these two guys can be moved without feeling much of an impact or creating any more holes in the roster.
Since acquiring Jon Bernier, most fans felt that he would undoubtedly take over as the starter and that Reimer would slowly accept the backup position which after 17 games has yet to happen. Both goalies have been playing quite well for the Buds and as such, Toronto may be able to take advantage of the number of goalies going down of late and cash in with a guy like James Reimer.
Furthermore, while 23 year old Jake Gardiner who is still developing his game has been playing well of late, the Leafs currently have an abundance of offensive players on their backend, especially with rookie Morgan Rielly, and as such have the luxury of moving a guy like Jake for an upgrade elsewhere.
As I alluded to earlier, Gardiner’s name has been in the rumor mill for quite some time now and he still remains a member of the Leafs. I have always felt that Gardiner will be one of the league’s better offensive D-men down the road, and if Toronto does not end up moving the young man, fans should remain patient as players of his ilk do not typically bloom until their later 20’s.
In addition to the Leafs showing interest in Fidder, Dreger also mentioned that Toronto has been in discussion with the Carolina Hurricanes regarding JM Liles. While I imagine that the Leafs would take just about anything at this point, this one doesn’t sound like it has a lot of legs given that the Canes are currently in a worse cap situation than are the Maple Leafs. Not being able to move Ruutu and his $4.75M cap hit, the Canes shouldn’t be considering taking in any more cap dollars unless they have the option to move some of their own, also.
Moving away from the trade rumors, some positive news came for Leafs nation recently as Tyler Bozak took to the ice yesterday morning and appears to be on track to a speedy recovery after experiencing a hamstring injury. While Bozak is not eligible to return before November 21st due to being placed on the long-term injury list, coach Randy Carlyle feels he may be ready to practice with the team as early as next week.
“From there, it will be up to him from that point, if he feels he has his legs underneath him, whether he can play or not,… Carlyle said.
In his absence, James van Riemsdyk has taken over the first line duties and, despite showing signs of inexperience, has fared quite well so far I feel. That said, with the potential return of Bozak over the next two weeks, Toronto will only need to hang in there for another 5-6 games, two of which will be against the Buffalo Sabres.
Tonight, Toronto will take to the ice against the Minnesota Wild who have been playing some strong hockey of late. Holding a current 7-1-2 record over their last ten games, the Wild will likely present a challenge tonight as they likely recall losing their last game against Toronto despite outplaying and outshooting their opponent.
That said, Minnesota will be without defenseman Keith Ballard tonight who is expected to be out for two weeks with an upper body injury. Tonight will likely be a test of the goalies as the Wild are expected to start Josh Harding who is currently ranked 3rd in the league with a 1.22 GAA. Edit: Backstrom to start tonight as Harding is “under the weather….
Given how the last game between the two teams ended, Carlyle has decided to go with Bernier tonight. It also appears that the Leafs will be going with seven defensemen which to me says that there is either internal competition for that final roster spot, or Carlyle is being instructed to showcase a certain player. Either way, I do not mind having that extra body as it provides the team with the ability to keep fresh legs.
In order to find success moving forward, Toronto needs to find ways to play a style of game which they demonstrated for about 12 minutes during the 2nd period against the Boston Bruins just a few nights ago – something their coach would love to see more of.
“I think every coach would like their team to play that way,… Carlyle said. “That’s more the type of hockey that we’re going to ask the hockey club to play. A little bit more of a cycle game, a little bit more of a puck-possession game, you know, instead of the up and down, trading chances.…
With Toronto often being outshot, what the Leafs will need to focus on as Carlyle pointed out is their puck possession and cycle game. As I have previously mentioned in my blogs, the Leafs have a strong goalie tandem at the moment and have been relying quite heavily on them to win games. Although some may argue that this is apparent with most successful teams, I feel that Toronto has been pushing their luck in that regard.
If they are not able to find ways to improve upon their puck possession throughout a 60 minute game and continue to outwork their opponents by cycling the puck deep in the offensive end, they may begin to trend toward a few extra losses.
"I just think that the good teams in the league, they have a template and they play to it," said Carlyle, ahead of a Wednesday date with the thriving Wild. "They put the puck in and go to work. And we have to gain more of that type of an attitude from our group. That's what's necessary to have success in the NHL and you have to do it day in, day out."
With that in mind in addition to Carlyle’s quote above, I feel that the Leafs brass are well aware of this and are tuning their game to address these concerns. Better to be proactive than reactive, mom always used to say.
Before concluding, it appears that former Leafs Ben Scrivens will be the LA Kings new starting tender with Jon Quick injured. Since being traded along with Matt Frattin, Scrivens has played just five games with the Kings posting a respectable 1.89 GAA and .924 SV%.
While Scrivens has been doing well, he will truly be put to the test in the games to come. With respect to the other half of the acquired assets in the Bernier trade, Matt Frattin hasn’t been as successful with the Kings. With only four points in 15 games played and currently sporting a -6 in terms of his +/-, Frattin has not had the strongest start with the Kings thus far in his limited role.
While Frattin was not brought in strictly for his offense, I would sense that the Kings were hoping for more for the young forward. It will be interesting to see how he develops in LA.
That’s all for this week folks, thanks for reading!