Monday Mailbag – Yakupov or Drouin?

I hope all of you are having a fantastic lottery weekend! Me personally? I partied on Saturday and paid for it Sunday morning, and I almost feel like I didn’t get a full weekend as a result of the hangover. If you’re like me the mailbag is here to provide a distraction and waste valuable company time. If we can’t help you waste company resources, what’s the point of being here? If you have a question for the mailbag, email me at baggedmilk@oilersnation.com or hit me up on Twitter at @jsbmbaggedmilk.

Drouin by a lot. He was a better prospect on his draft day than Yak. I think the fact Edmonton took him No. 1 confuses the conversation. Yakupov is at this point a major question mark and his value is not high. Edmonton, as an organization, has really cratered Yakupov’s value. Drouin has had issues, but not at Yakupov’s level.

I think Drouin has more value at this point. He’s not saddled with the scarlet letter that is 1st overall pick status, which gives him slightly more room for error. And the fact that he hasn’t played very much in the NHL also works in his favour. You more or less already know what you’re going to get with Yak at the NHL level, whereas Drouin’s ceiling is still unknown at this point.

Drouin has more value. I don’t think it’s even close, actually. The problem with Yakupov’s value is that he’s been playing in the NHL and not scoring the way a 1st overall pick should be. Yeah, there are circumstances that made it harder for him (Letestu as a linemate hurts), but his struggles were visible. This doesn’t even take into consideration the show Drouin put on against Detroit in round one. Value is about how players are perceived. Drouin has people’s attention at the right time of the year for the right reasons. That has value.

Drouin. He is still a wild card with not a lot of NHL service time. I think other teams have seen a lot of Nail and know what he is all about

Drouin. He can play in the top six.

Drouin because he doesn’t play for the OIlers.

I think there are a few. Anaheim (Sami Vatanen) is probably the best fit among the players we assume might be available. Minnesota (Matt Dumba), Chicago (Brent Seabrook), Philadelphia (Radko Gudas) are also players I can see Edmonton having interest in.
I would love to see Vatanen or Gudas pursued by Edmonton.

The Ducks have a lot of players to sign next year, not a ton of cap space to work with, and RIGHT HANDED D-MAN Sami Vatanen is going to be looking for a decent raise as an RFA. I’m not sure what it would take to pry his rights away from Anaheim but I’d definitely start there if I were Chiarelli.

The Ducks and Rangers seem like teams who might be willing to make bigger changes to their club. Jason had mentioned Anaheim earlier this year as a possible partner. The Rangers and Oilers have a history trading with each other. Edmonton has obvious interest in Vatanen. From New York, maybe Chia likes the idea of a big guy like Kreider. Maybe just the negotiating rights to Yandle from New York.

Tough one to answer. I still go back to my original position which is until I know which pick the Oilers have I can’t give you an answer. There is a big difference between the first and fourth pick.

Anaheim. Sami Vatanen. He’d be the “second guy” the Oilers need on the blueline, after moving heaven and earth to get Travis Hamonic.

I Sami Vatanen an Oiler yet? How about Hamonic? Shattenkirk? There are a lot of options for trade partners out there and we’ll see what Chiarelli can get done, but I’d bet on Anaheim or NYI.

1. Stop—trading actual NHL players like Jeff Petry at the trade deadline and then replacing them with Andrej Sekera in free agency. Edmonton needs to get good players, keep good players. 
2. Start—Using the AHL team as a development team, actually sending first-round picks to Bakersfield and keeping them there until they are overripe. 
3. Continue—With this forward group, as much as possible. If the Oilers kept everyone but Lauri Korpikoski, I am convinced they have a playoff F group. Seriously.

The Oilers need to stop acquiring players then making them play two to three levels above their abilities. No more 4-5-6 D-men playing in the 1 and 2 spots please!

The Oilers need to start losing all their one goal games in OT/the shootout so they can pity point their way to a playoff spot (the Canucks tried the same strategy this season but failed miserably as usual).

The Oilers need to continue letting Ethan Bear and Caleb Jones develop into impactful NHL D-men, and not rush them into action too early.

STOP playing Korpikoski. START making the playoffs an actual priority. CONTINUE making smart moves like the Maroon deal. 

Stop feeling sorry for themselve. Start creating a swagger. Continue listening to their coaches. They know what they are doing.

Stop using players higher than they belong on the depth chart. Start insisting players who are better served playing in the minors actually play there. Continue phoning Garth Snow about Travis Hamonic until either throws himself under the Zamboni or the deal is done.

Start keeping good players. Stop trading away good players for magic beans. Continue working towards making us all forget the Tambellini and MacT eras.

Hi Alexander. I have been married for 33 years, so this advice comes from the distant past. Relax. Go have fun. In the process of being social, enjoying being 20, you will meet lots of people and have a chance to do things in groups. Eventually, things pair off, they just do. Don’t put pressure on yourself, 20 is so young and a lot of people your age rush into things and end up making commitments they simply aren’t ready for at that age. You are a thoughtful young man, Alexander. I know because you wrote this question. Don’t you hurry a thing. Enjoy yourself.

Step 1) Wear a kick-ass leather jacket.

Step 2) ???

Step 3) Make sex!

Don’t become a blogger. No, but seriously, don’t do it. I’m really not a great person to ask about getting multiple dates. I was notoriously oblivious when I was single. It’s my anniversary as I write this. Take my advice, just enjoy being single for as LONG as you can.

Obviously everyone on this panel has had their choice of the ladies in their lives. I can’t to see what these male Dr. Ruth’s come up with. My advice which will obviously be the most useful is don’t show fear. Put yourself out there. If you don’t ever talk to girls there is little chance you will date any.

Put down the jug of Sprite and the X-Box controller and get out there.

If you’re really worried about not having a girl you can always pay for it. I’m not sure what the going rate for hookers is these days but I’m sure you can get someone to pretend to be your girlfriend, Maybe you can even negotiate a monthly rate?

When You Were Mine. It was on the first Prince album I ever bought (Southgate) and I have loved that song since I heard it.

1999 because it was a great year, and it also CORRECTLY predicted the Y2K apocolypse!

I’m too young to have a great appreciation for Prince. My fav is probably Nothing Compares 2 U by Sinead O’Connor. I was always more impressed by his performance and guitar playing than any 1 particular song. Check out him doing the solo for While My Guitar Gently Weeps. Mind. Blown.

Hungry eyes.

Little Red Corvette. Anything with a car reference gets me every time.

My mom got me into Prince when I was a kid so his music has always been around for as long as I can remember. Anything off Purple Rain is great. Darling Nikki because it’s super horny. Baby I’m a Star is a smasher. Purple Rain is obviously legendary. Others I can think of off of the tip of my head would be Cream, I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man, Little Red Corvette, 1999… The list goes on and on. Even some of his newer stuff was solid. Check out Funknroll whenever you have a few minutes and it will give you an idea of how versatile this guy was. Big loss for music.