Ex-GM Was Angry at Oilers Trade Offer. Who Is the Modern Version?

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Every GM has a trade idea that sounded better in his own head than it did to the other side. For former Edmonton Oilers GM Craig MacTavish, it was offering Nail Yakupov to the New Jersey Devils for defenceman Adam Larsson. The Oilers ultimately got Larsson in a much bigger trade ( a one-for-one for Taylor Hall), but not before insulting Lou Lamoriello more than MacTavish believes he’s ever insulted another NHL manager.

MacTavish recently shared the story on Oilers Now, admitting he never made a manager angrier than Lamoriello that day. Larsson had been a healthy scratch for a game, and MacTavish saw an opening. “I thought there might be an opportunity,” he said. Lamoriello shut him down quickly. “No, I’m not trading Adam Larsson for Nail Yakupov,” MacTavish recalled him saying, adding that the Devils GM “was pretty angry.”

Yakupov Never Could Find His Game in the NHL

After a 17-goal rookie season, Yakupov’s game didn’t click at the NHL level in Edmonton. He was a controversial first-overall selection, with some speculation that Oilers wanted to draft Larsson. Rumors suggest the owner (Daryl Katz) stepped in to shut that down and influenced Edmonton to take the flashier forward. Believed he might become a scoring winger who could complement Edmonton’s top core, he didn’t.

After four seasons, he was dealt to St. Louis in 2016 for a prospect and a conditional third-round pick. He played just 98 more NHL games before returning to Russia. MacTavish remembered him as “a good guy, a nice kid, classy,” and said he was “a little bit self-centered, but who isn’t?”

Is There a Player on the Oilers Today that Would Anger Other GMs?

The story raises a question: is there a comparable player on today’s Oilers roster? Someone who hasn’t quite turned the corner, and whom Edmonton could shop for an upgrade, knowing the other GM might not appreciate the pitch?

One name that keeps surfacing in trade speculation is Isaac Howard. To be clear, no rumor or report ties him to a specific deal. No one believes the Oilers feel the same way about Howard as they did about Yakupov. And let me be clear: I believe this organization likes Howard and has faith in his potential.

That said, his name frequently pops up in trade speculation, if only because fans and insiders believe the Oilers could dangle him in a trade for a bigger fish. I also believe the Oilers value him more than other teams might.

Howard is unproven at the NHL level, which makes him a natural candidate. A player with upside and a question mark on his résumé can be a tempting piece to move when a team needs a proven contributor, particularly if a window to win is open. When you hear about Connor Hellebuyck, every trade pitch throws in Howard. When Kirill Marchenko was loosely linked to Edmonton, guess who “insiders” and fans named first? Yep, Howard.

As much potential as Howard might have, he’s not moving the needle in a bigger trade.

The Oilers Can’t Sell Other Teams on Unproven Potential

MacTavish believed the Devils might have seen Yakupov as a player worth betting on. Lamoriello didn’t see it quite the same way. When a player isn’t developing as hoped, a fresh environment can help, and a team in need of a boost may look at him as a valuable chip. The risk is overselling him, as MacTavish learned.

Might the Oilers be doing the same with Howard, assuming he’s been dangled in trade chatter? The worst that can happen is that a GM says no. Maybe Stan Bowman gets his ear chewed off the way MacTavish did. Still, don’t expect Howard to be the centerpiece of any deal.

The former Oilers GM realized that some prospects just couldn’t translate their game at the NHL level. MacTavish said of Yakupov, “If you watch the Oilers practice, which I did on a number of occasions, you would go, ‘There’s your best hockey player.’ Skate, shoot, handle the puck. But when the puck dropped, he couldn’t play with people, and that was what happened to Jesse Puljujärvi as well.”

Whether Edmonton explores a trade with Howard remains to be seen. But if there’s a player on this roster who might be struggling a bit to elevate his game to a different level, he’s it.

Next: Can the Oilers Afford to Keep Their New-Look Top Line Together?