I got word late last night from a source close to the team that the Florida Panthers have contacted the Edmonton Oilers regarding Nail Yakupov. The rumoured trade is being built around Yakupov, right-handed dman Alex Petrovic and a draft pick or picks could be coming back to the Oilers as well. The Oilers have also been talking to Brandon Pirri’s camp, I imagine he’d be Yak’s replacement if the Panthers deal goes through.
You can believe me or not but Bob Stauffer just started following Alex Petrovic’s Twitter account… Take it for what it is.
You might remember Alex Petrovic from his days with the Red Deer Rebels of the WHL or from his three-fight night last year vs Evander Kane. Check out the vid below… We’ll chat his stats and fancies after the clip.
ALEX PETROVIC
| BIRTHYEAR | 1992-03-03 | BIRTHPLACE | Edmonton, AB, CAN |
| AGE | 24 | NATION | Canada |
| POSITION | D | SHOOTS | R |
| HEIGHT | 194 cm / 6’4″ | WEIGHT | 93 kg / 205 lbs |
| YOUTH TEAM | Maple Leaf Athletic Club | CONTRACT | 16/17 |
| NHL DRAFT | 2010 round 2 #36 overall by Florida Panthers | ||
| CAP HIT | $1,050,000 | ||
info grabbed from eliteprospects.com
- Petrovic’s 1pt/60 ranked 29th in the NHL amongst dmen last year in pts/60
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WOWYs are a little mixed, but does suggest he’s a complimentary Dman. Several top-6 forwards seem to be better with him than without him, but he’s no possession driver.
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Petrovic’s TOI (16:57) seems to suggest a 5/6 role.
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Petrovic’s IAP ranked 33rd last season. (IAP = Individual Assists Percentage = The % of goals scored while player was on ice that the player has an assist on).
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So in reading Petrovic’s HERO chart, his upside his is ability to contribute to offense, through his passing. His playmaking is top-pairing, but his goal scoring is weak. His shot suppression (defense) is also weak.
From Hockey’s Future:
Petrovic is a gifted defenseman and an authoritative force in his own zone. He moves the puck well but it is in the physical game where he excels. He punishes opponents in the corners and intimidates attacking forwards. – source
From George Richards (Panthers beat writer):
A stay at home defenseman, Petrovic is good at breaking opponents away from the puck and kicking it out.
Petrovic can also play a physical game – something that’s going to get noticed by the Panthers. – source
MY THOUGHTS
If Eric Gryba isn’t coming or a dman of that ilk or better and this trade is just to pick up a young right-handed dman who the Oilers are okay with leaving unprotected in the expansion draft, I don’t see the harm. Both Yakupov and Petrovic will be RFAs at season’s end and a deal like this could be to open up a spot to get a shooting machine like Brandon Pirri in the lineup. Yak doesn’t seem to have the trust from the Oilers brass and coaching staff and even though Chia claims that there was never a trade request… There was and that’s still an ongoing process.
As for Petrovic the player, we know he’s a tough son of a bitch. Not the greatest fighter but sticks for his teammates. He’s got size and the intangibles that will piss off the analytic folk. But anything that makes it tougher for the opposition to play in the Oilers zone makes me a happy guy.
My question is, what is the Panthers end game here? They’ve got Jagr and Reilly Smith on the right-wing there at the moment. Do they grab a player with potential whilst his value is so low that they could expose him in the expansion draft and have him possibly skipped over because they’ve got a logjam on the right-side with Ekblad, Demers, and Pysyk? Thus try to build his value back up with the crazy amount talent and skill they have down the middle there? Cheap contract, right?
I’d be stoked for Yak if he was dealt to the Panthers, another young player for Jagr to mentor…
There was a bit of chatter in Lowetide’s comments section here regarding such a deal.
I’ll be interested to see what the new WoodMoney metric says about Petrovic 🙂
So what do you think about this? Would you accept this sort of deal if the Oilers had no intentions of putting Nail Yakupov in the top-6 this upcoming season?
Huh. So, just can’t help ourselves hey? We need an 18 year old in the top 6. Sigh. Ah well, i wouldn’t be too mad. Can you think of anyone on the UFA market would could be a cheap middle 6 to help shelter Puljujarvi if Yakupov moves?
I can’t think of anyone cheap. Stempniak is off the market and Hudler/Versteeg will cost as much if not more than Yak.
Agree with their interest in Pirri, my only concern is term. While Khaira could replace Hendricks next year and mould into our 4th checking centre to replace Letestu, Caggiula and Slepyshev dont project into that role and I would be shocked if Caggiula doesnt atleast develop into a 3rd line complimentary player. (Which i have as Maroon – Draisaitl – ???). The top 6 looks set for a few years in Pouliot – Nuge – Eberle / Lucic – McDavid – Puljuj
By my count we would have a bit over 4M if we are conscious of potential bonuses and we made that trade. Think Vrbata would take a 1 year 3.5-4M to try and show last year was a one off? Or would you be concerned that last year you know, wasnt?
I mean Pirri is about the only guy out there that seems to have the Oilers interest. He’d be a good replacement for Yak given he’s a volume shooter.
If it turns out its Petrovic+draft pick+Pirri in and Yak out. Then that is what i’d call a net gain. Plus i’d like to see Yak get a fresh start.
Keep in mind, we don’t even necessarily need a replacement for Yakupov. Word from the development camp is Caggiula is doing quite well, and might be ready for 3C duty come fall (he’s an older college player after all).
If that were to happen, you could see these forward lines:
Lucic-McDavid-Eberle (the best at each spot together)
Pouliot-RNH-Draisaitl (RNH and Drai did well together before, Pouliot works here)
Maroon-Caggiula-Puljujarvi (we end up putting two rookies together, but both ones with defensive ability and this line can be used in a more defensive role for now that still has some offensive output)
Hendricks-Letestu-Kassian (smash things)
There’s actually some merit to this structure, because Caggiula, although not big, is a strong defensive player and has some bite to his game. This could end up a very strong two-way 3rd line.
Then, on the back end, you have
Klefbom-Larsson
Sekera-Petrovic (he’s a faster, meaner, younger Fayne who can handle the puck, this will also help Sekera)
Davidson-Fayne (Fayne gets his shot here as the shutdown partner with Davidson)
This might be a better lineup, and it’s definitely a deeper one because the Oilers now have 6 guys in the Top-12 who can play C (McDavid, RNH, Draisaitl, Caggiula, Hendricks, Letestu). For a team who’s center depth can traditionally be measured by counting your thumbs, this is a strange idea..
Caggiula and JP will and should spend the start if not all of the season in Bakersfield. They both need to adjust to the NHL and JP is just coming off an injury needs to adjusted to the NHL size rink and play. Caggiula has to adjust to the schedule we dont need another J schultz
trading for another stay at home defence man is not what we need