St. Louis Blues Add Important Depth Acquiring Nail Yakupov

The St. Louis Blues acquired Nail Yakupov from the Edmonton Oilers. Considering the trade, it seems reasonable the Blues won this deal.

Well, it finally happened. The St. Louis Blues made a trade with the Edmonton Oilers.

It did not come during the time period we all expected. It did not involve the players that were rumored for, but it happened.

The St. Louis Blues acquired Nail Yakupov from the Oilers. In return, Edmonton gets Zach Pochiro and a conditional third round pick in 2017.

The condition is Yakupov’s goals.  If he scores 15 or more this season, the pick becomes a second rounder in 2018 and the Blues will get their third round pick in 2017 back.

This trade is significant because it gives the Blues some much needed depth. So many fans have been fretting all offseason and even I have been forced to realize things weren’t looking quite as rosy as I had originally thought.

Yakupov isn’t going to be some sort wunderkind. He’s not going to be the missing piece that leads the Blues to the promised land.

Anyone hoping for that is going to be sorely disappointed. Those that keep their expectations in check will likely be pleasantly surprised.

Yakupov is not a big goal scorer, but he can definitely chip in. The most he has ever scored in a season is 17, but he’s been reasonably consistent.

The 23 year old has not measured up in terms of points, but as far as goals, he is almost on par with what David Perron produced through the same amount of time. That’s not to say he’ll be that kind of player, but the simple fact there is even a comparison is enough to be glad about.

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What is even better is the Blues did not sit on their hands. Doug Armstrong would have been well within his rights to say it’s up to the players out there to get the job done.

Instead, he realized that the scoring punch did not seem to be there in the preseason. No, it isn’t the dream trade we all wanted, but it gives the Blues plenty of options now.

Yakupov is listed as a right winger. With the Blues willing to try almost anyone at center, that gives them a lot of ways to maneuver their pieces around.

Prior to the trade, I did my best to suggest some lines the Blues might try out. Now, with the addition of another winger, there is almost no way of knowing for sure.

According to Blues beat writer, Jeremy Rutherford, those were the expected lines going into the season opener. Where Yakupov fits in there remains to be seen.

On face value, he would likely take Ty Rattie‘s spot in that lineup. There could be any number of changes based on who the coaching staff feels will play best together.

The bottom line is this is a big addition. As mentioned, Yakupov isn’t going to provide a ton of offense, but he’s going to relieve some of the pressure that was mounting on other names.

More importantly, he’s excited about the change.

With the trade, the Blues have taken up almost all of their remaining cap space. Yakupov will earn around $2.5 million and the Blues now have a little over $800,000 in space remaining.

That is important because they no longer have the flexibility to add much salary if they make any further deals. It takes away some options for the future, but if this is a good fit, there may not be as much of a need.

On a slightly pleasing note, fans should take comfort in the idea that the Chicago Blackhawks were also trying to pick up Yakupov. That, in and of itself, speaks to his value and any time you can prevent your chief rival from picking up a player, it adds that extra little cherry on top.

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In that aspect, not having Vladimir Sobotka was extremely beneficial. Apparently the biggest holdup with a deal with Chicago was the Blackhawks needing Edmonton to retain salary.

The Blues did not need that to happen. That made the deal more appealing to the Oilers.

So, the bottom line is the Blues have some much needed depth. No, Yakupov is not the comfort blanket of Troy Brouwer or David Backes, but he gives the Blues more flexibility.

Add to that he is still under restricted free agency and the Blues have made a very shrewd pickup.