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Flashback Friday: How the Oilers trading Nail Yakupov to the Blues turned into Tristan Jarry
Edmonton Oilers Nail Yakupov
Photo credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Ryley Delaney
Mar 13, 2026, 22:00 EDTUpdated: Mar 13, 2026, 23:03 EDT
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Nail Yakupov is widely considered one of the biggest busts in National Hockey League history.
That title is deserved as well. Drafted first overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2012 draft after scoring 31 goals and 69 points in 42 games with the Sarnia Sting in his draft year, the Russian sniper was considered one of the best draft prospects in the very weak 2012 class.
Under the guidance of Ralph Krueger, Yakupov actually had a solid rookie campaign, scoring 17 goals and 31 points in 48 games. Krueger was fired, Dallas Eakins was hired and the rest was history. Wanting Yakupov to play a more defensive style (a decade later, I’m still asking why), the winger scored just 11 goals and 24 points in 63 games.
His career high in points came during the 2014-15 season, scoring 14 goals and 33 points in 81 games, but finishing as a dismal minus-35, somehow worse than the minus-33 he was a season prior. The Oilers landed another first-overall pick in 2015, this time in a much stronger draft class, nabbing Connor McDavid. Playing alongside the generational talent, Yakupov showed glimpses of what made him an intriguing prospect playing alongside McDavid, but a linesman pulling Yakupov down and injuring the Russian winger derailed his season.
Before the start of the 2016-17 season, Yakupov had worn out his welcome, as the Oilers shipped the 2012 first-overall pick to the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 7, 2016. In this edition of Flashback Friday, we’ll take a look at that trade and the ensuing trade tree, because it’s a doozy.

The Yakupov trade tree

In return, the Oilers received the rights to prospect Zach Pochiro and a third-round pick in 2017. Pochiro, a centre, never amounted to much, playing most of his professional hockey career in the ECHL, with a handful of games in the American Hockey League, and a season in Denmark. The highlight was winning the Kelly Cup with the Fort Wayne Komets in 2020-21. He retired after the 2024-25 season and serves as a scout for the Prince George Cougars.
That pick was used to select Cameron Crotty, a defenceman who has played two NHL games and is currently in the AHL. However, the Arizona Coyotes made that selection with the 82nd overall pick, as the Oilers sent the pick, as well as a 2017 fifth-rounder to the Coyotes for the 78th overall pick. This trade merged the Yakupov and Shawn Horcoff trade trees, as that pick was acquired by the Oilers for Philip Larsen, who was part of the Horcoff trade. 
So why is this trade notable? Well, the one thing the Oilers were good at during Peter Chiarelli’s tenure as general manager was drafting, and with the third-rounder they acquired from the Coyotes, they selected Stuart Skinner 78th overall.
Skinner’s tenure as an Oiler can be described best as “up and down.” He was thrust into a starter role far too soon with Jack Campbell failing to live up to his contract expectations, as Skinner had a .914 save percentage and 2.73 goals against average in 50 games during his rookie campaign in 2022-23. He finished second in Calder Trophy voting, whereas Yakupov finished fourth all the way back in 2012.
The expectations set on Campbell transferred to Skinner for the 2023-24 season. After a rough start where the Oilers famously went 2-9-1, Skinner began to play better, posting a .911 save percentage to end the season. The Edmonton product struggled mightily in the first three games against the Vancouver Canucks, losing the crease, but ended the 2024 postseason with a .901 save percentage.
Skinner regressed in 2024-25, posting an .896 save percentage over 51 games, and an .889 save percentage in 15 playoff games. Again, those stats are brought down due to a handful of games, namely the first two games against the Los Angeles Kings, as he played well upon his return to the crease in Game 3 of the second round. Unfortunately, he and the entire team just weren’t good enough in the Stanley Cup Final.
Like Yakupov nine years before, Skinner’s welcome in Edmonton wore out after 23 games, as he had an .891 save percentage in 23 games to start the season. In December, he, alongside Brett Kulak and a 2029 second-rounder, was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Samuel Poulin and Tristan Jarry.
So yes, somehow one of the worst draft selections in NHL history turned into one of the worst trades in Oilers franchise history. Not great.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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