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Nail Yakupov was interviewed by Championat on a wide variety of topics, but a few caught my eye:
The Oilers didn't control the pace of your summer workouts?
Yakupov: I have an individual training plan for the season, issued in the spring by the team, and it's going well. I am certainly not cheating, so there were no problems.
Do you plan on flying to Detroit?
Yakupov: Yes, I go there to start on-ice training. Everyone in the NHL starts preparing for the season about a month and a half prior to training camp with a personal trainer. My CHL team [Sarnia] will be preparing at full force and I'll work out under the direction of Igor Larionov.
Yakupov discusses vacationing in Turkey with his friends, and his mention of "not cheating" is a hilarious reminder of teen-aged guilt.
Do you talk with your teammates? Two Oilers, Jordan Eberle and Taylor Hall were invited to Team Canada's Olympic camp.
Yakupov: Of course, we talk. It's interesting that we have the same problem -- because of problems with insurance costs, we aren't able to hold a full-fledged camp in August.
The silliness of throwing around "$1 billion" and "$3 billion" notwithstanding, the insurance issue is problematic for each country with NHL players in their camp, so it's not strange that Yakupov is finding kinship with his teammates over something so complicated. Yakupov does mention that there are administrators to administrate and he'll wait for their call.
Not long ago, there were a wave trade rumors about you. Edmonton's management wanted to trade some of their young talent for some veterans. Did this upset you?
Yakupov: Trades in the NHL are a business, they can happen at any time, so I'm always available in a trade. I want to play in Edmonton for a long time. I like everything about Edmonton: the city, the arena, the fans, the team, the management, and the people working at the club.
Led by the media, Yakupov had one foot out the door before he even arrived in Edmonton:
So Nail Yakupov doesn't do post-game interviews in Ufa after another quiet game. Kid making people wonder on and off the ice.
— Terry Jones (@sunterryjones) January 2, 2013
It's time for igor larionov to tell his client nail yakupov that wearing the C means you talk. Kid needs wake-up call
— Jim Matheson (@NHLbyMatty) January 2, 2013
It does make sense that he's the one outside sources would focus on, no matter how silly the idea actually is.