The Oilers traded Nail Yakupov, a first round draft pick, to the St. Louis Blues because that’s what the Oilers do. Namely, acquire top end talent and then squander it to the extent that it’s now worth just about nothing and must be unloaded at clearance prices.
This might be the best thing to ever happen to Yakupov for a number of reasons. One, he might actually win something with the Blues one day. Two, he escapes the frozen wasteland of Edmonton, Alberta. Three, he might have something resembling a support structure. You know, something that might help a Russian playing in North America.