Curious about Yakupov's attitude and "intangibles."
Happened to recently see a post-game press conference clip with him and I have to say, it concerned me a bit. Found his demeanor similar to Alex Ovechkin...and we see how well he's working out as the leader of the Caps.
I want confidence and leadership, not a guy who is going to be a braggert. Did I just see a bad example (the clip in question was from the World Juniors), or is this what we can expect from him?
Certain players can get away with how they act if they have the game to back it up. My last go-around in football, I discovered firsthand that the biggest problem isn't when someone has a dismissive attitude about the game, but when it becomes contagious and spreads to other players who don't have the skill to be able to be flippant.
That's where strong leadership comes in. The idea that "nice guys finish last" exists because nice guys don't tell someone to quit being a wise-ass and actually focus on what they're doing; nice guys don't tell the young guys to quit tagging along with the older drunks; and nice guys don't tell the veterans that no one's job is safe and to treat every day like it's a tryout. Weak leadership with rock star players is a death sentence...if he was still around, Chuck Tanner would be one of the first to admit that his issues in Chicago with the White Sox and later with the Pirates were directly tied into weak leadership.
I assume you're talking about the "We Win Canada" clip.
There's some Ovechkin comparisons with the broken English. He's absolutely fearless about giving interviews in English even when it's probably better that he didn't. I'm sure there are things he doesn't mean to say that way.
He's a competitive kid. He'll do what it takes to win games. Compare that to Mikhail Grigorenko who's been blasted for taking games off and lax effort.
Yakupov was recovering from an injury and the scouts want to see him playing real games. He skipped a media event where he would have had the spotlight.
Yakupov spoke broken Russian as well that night. "We won Canada" sounds strange in Russian too, but he was happy and didn't care about wordings. Also he said that he's "ready to die to win the final game". He's always very emotional when talks hockey. The guy sounds and plays like a warrior.
This is a great season to be in the running for first overall. I think Columbus should rely on taking who they think is the best player and avoid trying to draft for a position. There is not a position they have covered so draft the best.
If the Jackets use the Kings' 1st rounder in 2013, then the Jackets just need the Kings to have a lottery pick in 2013.
You may be saying this in jest, however, I would prefer to have the Kings pick next year. If it ends up being #15 that might offer good value this year but watching them, I'm still not sold on Quick and think there are enough holes that they could stumble big next year. I also feel like the first round will be even stronger next year - even late into the first.
Tough crowd on Quick. I'm not sure what else he can do that he hasn't done in his last 200 games or so. Progressively better GAA and progressively better save percentage.
Then again I've thought he was pretty good since I first saw him in 08/09. If I was building a team from players around the league, he would be in my top 7 or 8 goalies.
plus betting a conditional pick on the premise that another team may be worse next year adds factors I don't want to think about. If they get in we take the pick, try and do right by it & move on.
So all I know of these guys is what I read (not as much as some of you) and the highlights.
I'm thinking Nail would be a nice fit with some of the newer young guys. But I'm also thinking Galchenyuk might not be a bad consolation, should it come to that. His skating seems swift and powerful - although I know he's coming off a knee injury. He seems a much better skater than Grigorenko.
Is this right?
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"Every game, every point is a necessity." -- Ty Conklin, January 2007
"I'll have a chance to compete for the post of first issue. This is the most important thing." -- Sergei Bobrovsky, June 2012
So all I know of these guys is what I read (not as much as some of you) and the highlights.
I'm thinking Nail would be a nice fit with some of the newer young guys. But I'm also thinking Galchenyuk might not be a bad consolation, should it come to that. His skating seems swift and powerful - although I know he's coming off a knee injury. He seems a much better skater than Grigorenko.
Is this right?
And from the rumor mill, Grigo's attitude makes me think of the Niki's. if I was Howson and for whatever reason I couldn't get Yak I'd seriously consider trading down and selecting Galchenyuk or a top D
Tough crowd on Quick. I'm not sure what else he can do that he hasn't done in his last 200 games or so. Progressively better GAA and progressively better save percentage.
Then again I've thought he was pretty good since I first saw him in 08/09. If I was building a team from players around the league, he would be in my top 7 or 8 goalies.
Maybe I just haven't seen him enough. For me it's just a gut feeling and maybe a bit more based on hope than actual talent evaluation. At this point, change of subject, if we end up moving Nash I would really love to see Galchenyuk and Yakupov on the CBJ in the future.
So all I know of these guys is what I read (not as much as some of you) and the highlights.
I'm thinking Nail would be a nice fit with some of the newer young guys. But I'm also thinking Galchenyuk might not be a bad consolation, should it come to that. His skating seems swift and powerful - although I know he's coming off a knee injury. He seems a much better skater than Grigorenko.
Is this right?
Before the season, I had Galchenyuk as possibly competing with Nail Yakupov for #1 overall. For my money, he could very well be the sleeper of this draft - reminds me of Logan Couture in his draft year, in which he came into the season with very high hopes/rankings, but suffered a knee injury (a deep cut after being stepped on), and then a bout with mono as the season wore on. The Sharks look like geniuses now, after trading into the 9th spot to select him. Galchenyuk could follow a similar fate.
Just for comparison's sake, the players who went ahead of Logan Couture in 2007 (a lot of you probably know already, since it was in Columbus):
1. Patrick Kane
2. James van Riemsdyk
3. Kyle Turris
4. Thomas Hickey
5. Karl Alzner
6. Sam Gagner
7. Jakub Voracek
8. Zach Hamill
Of those guys, I think it'd be fair to place Patrick Kane ahead of Couture, based on prior success - but Couture is easily right behind him, or even on par with him. I see a similar fate with Yakupov and Galchenyuk ... I really think they're pretty close together. For what it's worth, Ryan Murray is also comparable to the top rated defenseman in that draft (Karl Alzner) ... but I do think Murray's offensive game is further along, and he's a much better skater.
Jackets keep winning, they will truly fail in their bid for Nail
Perhaps, but the post just before yours points out that the draft contains more than one potential top-quality prospect. Sure, Nail may project to be the best of them, but it's not like none of the others would be of any help! I really doubt the Oilers will drop behind us and I really think we shouldn't worry much about the Habs, so we should pick no lower than third. For me, the real downer would be to finish last and lose the lottery. Sure, we'd still pick second and get a valuable piece, but we'd never hear the end of whining about our constant bad luck in the draft!
Perhaps, but the post just before yours points out that the draft contains more than one potential top-quality prospect. Sure, Nail may project to be the best of them, but it's not like none of the others would be of any help! I really doubt the Oilers will drop behind us and I really think we shouldn't worry much about the Habs, so we should pick no lower than third. For me, the real downer would be to finish last and lose the lottery. Sure, we'd still pick second and get a valuable piece, but we'd never hear the end of whining about our constant bad luck in the draft!
I agree. I don't think Nail Yakupov is the be-all end-all of our franchise's suffering, and he's probably the best player in the draft. The gap between him and various other players isn't as huge as it's been in the past (even last year, Nugent-Hopkins was the clear #1 heading into the draft). If we lose the lottery or play our way into the #2 overall pick, I don't think it's going to make a vast difference in our rebuild. What will matter more, IMO, is what we do with the rest of our picks in the next couple of drafts. We can no longer see our draft picks wasted away the way they have been in the past, if we're going to start building the right way.
Plus Mason probably has woken up. 
