Former Oilers goalie Devan Dubnyk calls out former Oilers first overall pick publicly
Drafted first overall in the 2012 NHL Draft, Nail Yakupov was supposed to be the next Alex Ovechkin after scoring 80 goals and 170 points in just 107 games in the OHL. The Oilers were hoping he would be the final piece of the puzzle to go along with Jordan Eberle, Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and send the Oilers back to the playoffs. After a very productive rookie season where he scored 17 goals and 31 points in 48 games, Yakupov never really took off. He would spend the next 3 seasons with the Oilers before brief stops in St. Louis and Colorado. He returned to the KHL for the 2018/19 season where he has been since and has yet to have any memorable seasons.
During his time in the NHL, rumors swirled that Yakupov wasn't the sharpest crayon in the box and had a reputation as a player who couldn't take instruction or adapt. Yesterday on the Daily Faceoff podcast with Frank Seravalli and Jason Gregor, former teammate Devan Dubnyk essentially confirmed those rumors.
Dubnyk played in two seasons and 70 games with Yakupov in Edmonton before being traded to Nashville in 2014.
The recently retired Dubnyk continued, saying "I tried to explain to him. We were doing a low-drive from the corner and he's zipping these things past my ear because he's trying to hit the elbow. And I tried to explain to him: 'You realize there's three outcomes here. You miss the net, you score, or you hit me in the ear. I hate all three of those. If you want to practice this shot, go do it on the other end."
When asked if Yakupov ever perfected the shot he was trying, Dubnyk said "Obviously not. He's nowhere to be found, so I don't think he hit that elbow too often."
In Yakupov's case, it was another example of a first overall pick thinking he knew everything and he wasn't willing to be coached and learn. It's unfortunate, but not everyone can handle the pressures of being a first overall pick.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 15 | 101 ANSWERS Former Oilers goalie Devan Dubnyk calls out former Oilers first overall pick publicly Did you think Nail Yakupov was going to be a superstar when he was drafted? | ||
| Yes | 35 | 34.7 % |
| No | 66 | 65.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
