Oilers Forward Yakupov Still Not Ready To Play
While the Edmonton Oilers wait for the return from injury of rookie phenom Connor McDavid they’re hoping to get some other players back in the lineup as well. One of these is McDavid’s linemate, forward Nail Yakupov. Yakupov has been sidelined since November 25 with a severely sprained ankle. He’s missed 22 games and while he’s recovering nicely and expected back soon he’s not quite ready. The hope was that he could play Tuesday night against the Arizona Coyotes but he has been ruled out by head coach Todd McLellan.
Yakupov did join the Oilers for their optional morning state but according to McLellan he’s not quite there yet. The head coach said that he was hopeful Yakupov could return to action Thursday against the San Jose Sharks. Edmonton went through a stretch where they were playing well without McDavid and Yakupov but recently they’ve been slumping–they’ve lost two straight and are 3-6-1 in their past ten games. In addition to Yakupov the Oilers will be without defenseman Matt Hendricks who will be serving the first of a three game suspension for a hard hit on Florida Panthers’ defenseman Aaron Ekblad.
As for Yakupov himself, he thinks he’s ready to go. He participated in practice on a limited basis on Monday and traveled with the team to Arizona–had the team not thought it possible he could return he would have stayed in Edmonton. Actually, since it’s 30 degrees warmer in Phoenix than in Edmonton he might have traveled with the team regardless of his injury status. In any case, he’s very upbeat about his recovery and return to the lineup: I feel really good, I think I can play. I think I’m ready to go and I don’t feel any problems and we just have to talk to the coach and see what he says.”
One possible consideration–San Jose is generally considered to be a less physical team than the Arizona Coyotes, who have won 7 of their last 10 games. A secondary consideration–the latest renewal of the ongoing rivalry against the Calgary Flames is set for Saturday night at Rexall Place. The idea could be to give Yakupov a couple more days to recover to make sure he’s healthy for the Flames.