Can someone give me a quick summary as to how Scheifele has looked thus far?
Would I be correct in assuming he and Strome were Canada's best forwards?
Scheifele looks like a man amongst boys, he is head and shoulders above the rest of the OHL forwards IMHO. So strong at both ends, he really looked like an NHL player out there to me. It'd be cool to see what he can do with other world class players on his line.
Strome... well, he does get his sneaky points, but I'm still not sold on his ability to really impose himself at this level. He has the skillset, but if he's really bearing down it doesn't register with me. Maybe being stealthy is a true asset, I don't know, but I'd usually expect a guy with his draft pedigree to be more of a constant threat, like in fact Huberdeau and Scheifele are, whereas I still find Strome to kind of skulk on the perimeter at times and not really carry the play. I've seen him be more dynamic at times in the OHL, but I'm starting to think this "stealth mode" perimeter play is more his real persona.
Scheifele looks like a man amongst boys, he is head and shoulders above the rest of the OHL forwards IMHO. So strong at both ends, he really looked like an NHL player out there to me. It'd be cool to see what he can do with other world class players on his line.
Strome... well, he does get his sneaky points, but I'm still not sold on his ability to really impose himself at this level. He has the skillset, but if he's really bearing down it doesn't register with me. Maybe being stealthy is a true asset, I don't know, but I'd usually expect a guy with his draft pedigree to be more of a constant threat, like in fact Huberdeau and Scheifele are, whereas I still find Strome to kind of skulk on the perimeter at times and not really carry the play. I've seen him be more dynamic at times in the OHL, but I'm starting to think this "stealth mode" perimeter play is more his real persona.
could not agree more. That is my assessment.
However, having said that, he is going to make the team.If someone else could step up and put the puck in the net,but there is not much offence to be found.
He is my third line center that will provide some quality PP.
Is anybody else beginning to become bothered by Igor Larionov's constant comparison of Nail to Bure? Prior to Monday's HHOF induction ceremony, Larionov spoke with TSN's That's Hockey. When asked if any player of Pavel's caliber and excitement would ever appear in the league again, his words were something to this effect: "Nail Yakupov. Players like that don't come around every year."
It makes sense to compare them in terms of style, I suppose, but I'm sure we can all agree after watching Nail that there are things left to be desired. I'll be watching Nail tonight at the Pacific Coliseum, where Pavel would dominate regularly. I'm hoping Nail will bring the crowd to its feet, but he hasn't done that at all thus far, at least whenever I've had the chance to witness his game.
Is Larionov putting too much pressure on Nail, and perhaps raising fans' expectations too high? It's one thing to say Nail models his game around Pavel's and is influenced by it, but to say he will be like Pavel is something entirely different.
Is anybody else beginning to become bothered by Igor Larionov's constant comparison of Nail to Bure? Prior to Monday's HHOF induction ceremony, Larionov spoke with TSN's That's Hockey. When asked if any player of Pavel's caliber and excitement would ever appear in the league again, his words were something to this effect: "Nail Yakupov. Players like that don't come around every year."
I think it is a pretty apt comparison. 2 smaller guys with bull doggish personalities who can skate and shoot the puck. Both guys have a knack for scoring. Both guys have a winning attitude.
Is anybody else beginning to become bothered by Igor Larionov's constant comparison of Nail to Bure? Prior to Monday's HHOF induction ceremony, Larionov spoke with TSN's That's Hockey. When asked if any player of Pavel's caliber and excitement would ever appear in the league again, his words were something to this effect: "Nail Yakupov. Players like that don't come around every year."
Nail plays nothing like Bure.
I find it an truly annoying comparison. Russian and #10 is where the comparison starts and ends IMO.
I think it is a pretty apt comparison. 2 smaller guys with bull doggish personalities who can skate and shoot the puck. Both guys have a knack for scoring. Both guys have a winning attitude.
The defining aspects of Pavel's game are his speed, explosiveness, desire to go coast-to-coast whenever he could (to rally the fans), to shift into the next gear whenever he wanted to, and to obliterate the other team at incredible velocities.
Craig Button compared Nail to Alexander Mogilny. Mogilny was not as fast as Pavel nor was he able to go end-to-end a la Bure on a consistent basis. Rather, his greatest assets were his shot and agility. Many of his goals resulted from very hard, accurate snap shots. Bob McKenzie, meanwhile, compared him to Valeri Kharlamov.
I think Craig's comparison makes more sense than Larionov's based on what I've seen. Pavel used to fly past everybody when he carried the puck. His incredible, almost superhuman skating ability generated so many scoring opportunities and invoked many standing ovations. Without that ability, Nail is not much like Pavel at all. If he can not merely skate around the opposing defense, Nail's game will naturally have to change in order for him to be effective. I don't see the comparison. I sure as heck would love to, but his game does not fit that description.
Every player has unique characteristics. The traits you mentioned could accurately describe many players, though they could all be very different. To be like Bure, a player needs to be able to skate and have the ability to go around defensemen. One player people thought would be like Pavel was Maxim Afinogenov, especially early in his career, particularly because he could skate, and shared a similar stride. Of course, Afinogenov hardly resembled Bure in any other way, but he was dubbed "Baby Bure" in his first few years because he could overwhelm players with speed, agility, and explosiveness (though certainly not to the degree that Pavel could. No way). That comparison says a lot about what Pavel's defining trait was, and what gave Afinogenov the title.
Once in a while, Afinogenov would justify those comparisons. Of course, to compare Pavel to Afinogenov would be an insult to Pavel's vastly superior talent, intensity, physicality, vision, and work ethic, though.
What I'm trying to state here, though I hate to compare Pavel to Afinogenov, is that incredible skating ability is what makes a player "like Pavel Bure." If Nail doesn't skate like Pavel, Larionov should not be making the comparison. It seems he's trying to hype and promote his client; unfortunately, this is unfair to Nail and to fans whose expectations have been raised. Larionov should pick a different player to compare Nail to. There are many other Hall of Famers and great players who may be even more similar to Nail; Bob McKenzie and Craig Button have already named two.
Last edited by JetsAlternate: 11-14-2012 at 01:12 PM.
Agree, he is the type that will go in with speed and use his quick hard and accurate release to beat goaltenders clean just like gaborik does.
Evidence of his quick release has been seen in many of his goals in the KHL.
EDIT: I think hes basically a Gaborik with more creativity. Gaborik doesnt try the fancy stuff very often, where ive seen Nail try it more. Its not like Yak tries to dangle all his opponents, he just has that tool and sometimes puts it to use.
Saw an example of his creativity when in the last game of the super series against the OHL, he got the puck away from an OHL player and instead of passing it off or trying to skate away, he did a spin off the check and im pretty sure he put it between the OHL players legs, and then backed off to set up the play.
I would agree. Nail relies primarily on his shot to score, hence Button's Mogilny comparison. He can skate, but seems first and foremost to be a sniper like Marian Gaborik. If he has a bit of time and space, he will shoot the puck rather than deke. He has enough speed to make himself open, and will then fire the puck. It isn't enough speed to fly past the other team on a consistent basis, but is enough to elude the other team often and to put himself in great scoring position. On the powerplay, he also seems to park himself on the right side, which resembles a sniper rather than one who roams the offensive zone. Pavel moved around in the offensive zone; Patrick Kane has also done this.
I certainly see a similarity between Marian Gaborik's game and Nail's.
Of course, tonight I'm hoping Nail will try going coast-to-coast just once. This will be the only time he will ever play in the Pacific Coliseum, a place where his boyhood idol used to dominate each and every night.
We've all seen Pavel's famous first NHL shift. It would be fun to see Nail try to replicate it in the same building. If he has any showmanship (which he does), he may as well give it a shot. We've seen him during this series try to pick up speed in the defensive zone, and he did manage to deke past a line of opposing players in his first KHL game (albeit at a slower speed). That said, with what we've just discussed, I don't expect him to try anything unusual tonight. I'll be happy just to see him score.
0:14. It looks like, when Nail really wants to, he'll seize the opportunity to carry the puck into the zone. I wonder if Pavel's first NHL game had anything to do with Nail's first KHL game. Even if not, it would thrill fans to see him make another attempt tonight. He is nothing like Pavel, but as a fan I'm willing to suspend that belief for a night if he can do something flashy.
Last edited by JetsAlternate: 11-14-2012 at 01:47 PM.
Is anybody else beginning to become bothered by Igor Larionov's constant comparison of Nail to Bure? Prior to Monday's HHOF induction ceremony, Larionov spoke with TSN's That's Hockey. When asked if any player of Pavel's caliber and excitement would ever appear in the league again, his words were something to this effect: "Nail Yakupov. Players like that don't come around every year."
It makes sense to compare them in terms of style, I suppose, but I'm sure we can all agree after watching Nail that there are things left to be desired. I'll be watching Nail tonight at the Pacific Coliseum, where Pavel would dominate regularly. I'm hoping Nail will bring the crowd to its feet, but he hasn't done that at all thus far, at least whenever I've had the chance to witness his game.
Is Larionov putting too much pressure on Nail, and perhaps raising fans' expectations too high? It's one thing to say Nail models his game around Pavel's and is influenced by it, but to say he will be like Pavel is something entirely different.
Larionov is Yakupov's Agent, I believe, so his statement is pretty self-serving. If he generates a lot of hype about Yakupov that results in additional income, a certain percentage of that income goes directly into Larionov's pocket. While their size and speed is somewhat similar, Yakupov has in no way exhibit the magical puck control and ability to beat goalies from all angles that characterized Bure.
Is anybody else beginning to become bothered by Igor Larionov's constant comparison of Nail to Bure? Prior to Monday's HHOF induction ceremony, Larionov spoke with TSN's That's Hockey. When asked if any player of Pavel's caliber and excitement would ever appear in the league again, his words were something to this effect: "Nail Yakupov. Players like that don't come around every year."
It makes sense to compare them in terms of style, I suppose, but I'm sure we can all agree after watching Nail that there are things left to be desired. I'll be watching Nail tonight at the Pacific Coliseum, where Pavel would dominate regularly. I'm hoping Nail will bring the crowd to its feet, but he hasn't done that at all thus far, at least whenever I've had the chance to witness his game.
Is Larionov putting too much pressure on Nail, and perhaps raising fans' expectations too high? It's one thing to say Nail models his game around Pavel's and is influenced by it, but to say he will be like Pavel is something entirely different.
I don't remember it word for word, but IIRC, he said something about Nail still being young and it not being fair to compare the 2
Yakupov can do a lot off the rush, but he needs to receive a pass in stride. It's pretty tough to pick the puck up in the defensive zone and go through five guys, it's not going to happen every night, even for Bure.
Otherwise, he's got a lethal shot anyway, so when he's not generating anything off the rush, he'll still get his chances.
Agree, he is the type that will go in with speed and use his quick hard and accurate release to beat goaltenders clean just like gaborik does.
Evidence of his quick release has been seen in many of his goals in the KHL.
EDIT: I think hes basically a Gaborik with more creativity. Gaborik doesnt try the fancy stuff very often, where ive seen Nail try it more. Its not like Yak tries to dangle all his opponents, he just has that tool and sometimes puts it to use.
Saw an example of his creativity when in the last game of the super series against the OHL, he got the puck away from an OHL player and instead of passing it off or trying to skate away, he did a spin off the check and im pretty sure he put it between the OHL players legs, and then backed off to set up the play.
If you're talking about Yak against CHL, it's likely a function of the competition. Most top end offensive talents play with more flash against other kids than they do in the big leagues. Excessive flashiness in the bigs leads to consistent failure, and there are not a lot of guys who can pull it off with regularity. Anyone who learns to provide a consistent threat to opposing goaltenders knows there's a time and a place.
