On Thursday, rumors began circulating that the Chicago Blackhawks were closing in on acquiring former No. 1 overall pick Nail Yakupov from the Edmonton Oilers. It was interesting news, as Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman had previously said he was hoping the team’s youngsters would work to fill the lineup holes.
There were rumors Mark McNeill could go the other way, or maybe Viktor Svedberg, or maybe even Trevor van Riemsdyk. But regardless of who went the other way, it sounded as though the Blackhawks were really close to adding a former top pick who had been used and abused in Edmonton.