Should the Red Wings take a chance on Yakupov?

With July 1st quickly approaching we here at WingsNation are turning our focus from the Draft to Free Agency and there are a few names that are sure to draw the attention of Red Wings fans.

This afternoon the St. Louis Blues announced that they did not tender a qualifying offer to former No.1 overall pick Nail Yakupov, which means he will become an unrestricted free agent on Saturday.

Yakupov has fallen a long way since being the first player selected in 2012. That year, the NHL was in a lockout but when they resumed play Yakupov impressed. The rookie posted 17 goals and 14 assists (31 points) in the 48-game shortened season, finishing fourth on the Edmonton Oilers in points. After that expectations were high but Yakupov failed to deliver in the three subsequent seasons and ended up being traded to the Blues last October.

Things didn’t get any better in his new home as he bounced in and out of the lineup with regularity and finished the campaign with just nine points (3G / 6A) in 40 games.

With limited cap space, the moves Ken Holland and the Red Wings’ front office can make are limited, so is it worth taking a chance on the former No.1 pick and hope he can find the game that made him so highly sought after five years ago?

Detroit isn’t expected to be a playoff team in 2017-18, but they also aren’t expected to start a complete overhaul. With a limited number of high-end forward prospects on the horizon, other than Evgeny Svechnikov, maybe Yakupov is worth the gamble. After all, his contract likely won’t be too rich and it could be a low-risk/high-reward type of move.

Last year Yakupov had a 51.68 CorsiFor% and a 1.85 CF% RelTm, which suggests the Blues were more dangerous with him on the ice than on the bench. However, in the same season @MimicoHero’s Hero Chart player evaluation tool suggests that Yakupov performed as a fourth line winger.

I think it would be a reasonable idea to bring Yakupov in on a one-year deal to see what he’s got. If it doesn’t work out, he sits or goes on waivers and we all know that Holland doesn’t mind putting wingers in their mid-20’s on waivers. I don’t think that Yakupov will be the answer or come in here and be a 30-goal scorer, but I think he could help increase scoring and help their beleaguered  power play. At just 23-years-old, his best years could very well still be ahead of him.

The game is shifting to a faster, smaller game and Yakupov has that in spades. He has quick feet and an uncanny ability to snipe from all over the ice. Adding him to a roster that has speedsters like Dylan Larkin and Andreas Athanasiou and snipers like Anthony Mantha and Tomas Tatar, Yakupov might be a solid fit in Detroit. I mean, if Riley Sheahan can get a spot in the lineup without scoring a goal for 81 games, Yakupov might as well get a shot.