It was Nail Yakupov’s 23rd birthday Thursday but Peter Chiarelli didn’t hand him the ultimate gift — a trade to the Chicago Blackhawks, which was the hot, hot rumour du jour.
But the Edmonton Oilers and the Hawks are talking, and here’s the reasons why:
1. Chiarelli and Stan Bowman are buddies from co-managing the Young Guns at the World Cup, so there’s friendship there.
2. The Hawks are remaking their forward roster with kids because of the hellish cap issues and maybe they feel Yakupov would be better than, say, kids Tyler Motte or Nick Schmaltz or Ryan Hartman, because Yakupov has played 252 NHL games.