Nail Yakupov Will Break Out For The Edmonton Oilers In 2015-16

The tales of failed No. 1s on the Edmonton Oilers usually surrounds Nail Yakuov. Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins are both below their expected output, but they are still very good players. Yakupov is now three years into his NHL career, and he already has a career minus-72 plus/minus. He clearly skips the defensive side of the puck. In the lockout shortened 2011-12 season, he scored 17 goals. He has combined for 25 in the last two seasons (92 games played). He takes a lot of shots, but most of them aren’t very good. That contributed to his 7.3 shooting percentage.

After scoring a paltry 12 points in the first four months, something seemed to click for Yakupov. In his next 32 games, he scored 21 points. Again, this isn’t lighting the world on fire, but that is still a 53-point pace. In a league where the highest point total was in the 80s, this is exactly where you’d want a third-year player.

This season, he is going to be even better. For one, this team will actually have something to play for on a nightly basis. They won’t be out of contention by December. Even if they aren’t a playoff team, they will be closer to the bubble than they will be to the bottom. They also have a brand new coach who knows what this team needs. Todd McLellan will not accept a lackluster effort from Yakupov that other coaches have allowed.

The main reason for the jump in Yakupov’s contributions will be the likely upgrade at center. He had Derek Roy, who just wasn’t in his prime anymore. Now, he will likely have Connor McDavid. He is clearly excited about the prospect of playing with the guy many call the next Sidney Crosby. With Nugent-Hopkins as the No. 1 center, McDavid will definitely center that second line.

If Yakupov can break out and become as good as he was in juniors (170 points in his last 107 games), then he could potentially be on the best line in the NHL for the next 15 years. That will be a major motivating factor for the 21-year-old Russian. He seems to be finally growing up now that Dallas Eakins is gone. Yakupov is no longer in the spotlight for a floundering team. He can just go out and play, and he will be with two of the best young setup men in the game.

Nick Villano is the NHL feature writer for RantSports. He also adds to the site’s NBA, MLB and NFL content. You can follow him on Twitter or add him to your Google circle.