Friedman on Yakupov, Myers, and more

Elliotte Friedman was on Sportsnet 960 Thursday afternoon.

On the Minnesota Wild:

Team hasn't had an issue negotiating with players during the season. Looks like Chuck Fletcher will be able to stagger his players' contracts, so they're not all coming up at once down the line.

Wild deserve a lot of credit for developing their young players, which is especially important with the Ryan Suter, Zach Parise contracts. 

Fletcher made a call on a rookie head coach in Todd Richards that didn't work in Minnesota. Fletcher's next coach? Also a rookie in Mike Yeo. "This is a ballsy call for a young GM too." Stuck with him through a couple of rocky patches. Team seems to be going in the right direction. "In this day and age, if you're going to be successful in a non-powerhouse situation, you have to have the courage of your convictions. I think Fletcher really has had that."

On Oilers:

"I heard that they're actually working the phones less than we would expect."

I was just wrapping up call with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. He said in the Tampa and Washington games, when those teams were coming back, 'we were never panicking on the bench.' He said we just believed if we kept playing as well as we were playing, we believed it would turn itself around.

On Yakupov: 

He was a guy the owner really wanted. Scouting staff wanted to take Ryan Murray that year. Owner overruled them. Last year especially, organization was really down on Yakupov.

"I do believe now, if they want to trade him, they could... I don't think the owner is so fierce in his determination to keep him and I think if they could do it, they would."

However, he's actually played pretty hard this year. "They've asked him to make more of an effort, and he has. I do think they are trying to reward that." He has made the effort to do more things.

Related: LeBrun addresses Yakupov's future in Edmonton

On Tyler Myers:

Sabres have been asked about Myers. I've reported before when Red Wings asked about him in the summer, the ask was Anthony Mantha-plus. Detroit was not willing to do that. 

I heard yesterday from a team, not Detroit, that talked to Buffalo about Myers, that there's a real fear if they trade Myers he'll go somewhere to a team and make them look silly for trading him. "So they're saying, 'Look, if you want him, it's going to cost you.'"

Chris Stewart and some of the other UFAs, I think they'd be willing to deal those guys. Tim Murray is willing to be patient until he gets what he wants. Sabres wanted two young players, or a player and a pick, for Stewart from Bruins. Just couldn't make a match.

"He's sitting there with Chris Stewart, and he'll make the deal when or if he gets the offer he wants."

Source: Sportsnet 960/ Transcript: Nichols on Hockey