Guy Boucher, Nail Yakupov and the Andrew Ladd Signing

Interesting fact about Guy Boucher coach of the Tampa Bay Lighting. He used to be the assistant coach of the Rimouski QMJHL team when Crosby was on it. This guy has an amazing playoff record. In that 05 year with Crosby he won the Finals in the QMJHL. The next season he didn't coach, but the year after that he became a head coach in the Q and took Drummondville to the second round. The year after that he missed the playoffs, but the year after that he won the championships as Drummondville's Head coach. Last year he moved to the AHL with the Hamilton Bulldogs and took them to the third round of the Calder Cup Finals. And then of course this year with the Tampa bay Lighting. Who could forget when he took a bunch of overpaid bums, with an underperforming Stamkos and took them to round 4 game 7 against Boston. If only TB beat Boston then maybe the Canucks would have won the cup.

Nail (me please!) Yakupov is a stud. His numbers are not quite at the Crosby level in the CHL however he is hovering around Stamkos and that is only after his first season. If he has an amazing next season this guy could put up some legendary stats. Flames would be stupid not to throw in the towel this year and try and get this guy. Pierre McGuire has already stated that it is a no-brainer that Nail me Please goes first overall next draft.

Good on Andrew Ladd. Ended up taking a bit of discount to play in winnipeg. He was making 2.35 million and now he is making around 4.4 million for the next few seasons. I like the signing but if things don't work out in Winnipeg this season expect Ladd to take a lot of heat as well as Antropov. Antropov has to be the biggest European bum in the league. You though Kotalik and hagman were bad? Antropov is making 4 million a season and he only scored 16 goals last season. Two years left on the contract too. No wonder the thrashers owners wanted to sell so badly.

-hark

Time to Draft a Russian?

Trivia time. Who was the last Russian to play on the Calgary Flames?

Did you guys Kristian Huselius? Maybe if his last name was Huselikov. No, it was non other than Oleg Saprykin, an integral part on the 2004 Stanley Cup run. That was 7 years ago. There hasn't been a single Russian on the Flames since.

Now, nobody cares about 2011 draft because all the prospects are supposed to suck. However, check out Nail Yakupov. Not only does he have a first name just begging to be clicheified "Tough as Nails" "Nailed him good" "I wish he'd Nail me"

Check out his scouting report :

http://www.russianprospect.com/nail-yakupov

Doesn't play D? Meh.

He finished 4th in OHL scoring with 101 points as a rookie (although he is 17). Let's put this into perspective

Yakupov: 65 GP/ 49 G/ 52 A/ 101 Pts (1st year, 17 years old)
Johnny T: 56 GP / 58 G/ 46 A / 104 pts (4th year, 18 years old)
Steve Stamkos: 61 GP/ 58 G / 47 A / 105 pts (2nd year, 17 years old)
Faylor Hall: 57 GP / 40 G / 66 A / 106 points (3rd year, 17 years old)

Since Nail's has a late birthday, he is not eligible to be drafted this year (kind of like the Johnny T situation a while back - although Johnny T had that prodigy year where he scored 65 goals and 134 points when he was 16)

As you can see, his rookie year (when he was the same age as all the other 1st overalls) was tremendous and he will definitely be going in the top of the 2012 entry draft. The only question is ... will the Flames be bad enough to get him?

-Hal