There’s always going to be that one team, that one coach, that one general manager who thinks they will be the ones able to rehabilitate the once-promising-now-on-the-skids player around. When you’re a former first overall pick, there is always one more team willing to take a chance on you, even if your career to this point has been a disaster.
In the case of Nail Yakupov, the Colorado Avalanche is that team. On the Fourth of July, the Avs signed the former No. 1 pick of the 2012 NHL draft to a one-year, $875,000, one-way contract.