“If you are not going to be moving forward with them you have to be moving along.” — Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli.
With that quote on trading Justin Schultz two days before the trade deadline, it’s a fair question to ask why the new Edmonton Oilers general manager didn’t move Nail Yakupov on NHL trade deadline day.
The night before, the Oilers had an opportunity to move Yakupov up to replace the departed Teddy Purcell on right wing on the Taylor Hall-Leon Draisaitl line. They didn’t.
Todd McLellan elected to move Zack Kassian up instead.