It's the second mailbag of the season and we're already diving into crazy trade questions. Love it! If you want to send in your own -- or a question on anything else hockey related -- send it in here.
Let's jump right in:
Am I being too "Maple-Leafy" thinking that Jake Gardiner plus James Reimer could get Nail Yakupov? Reimer is a proven goalie (only according to his numbers though) and Gardiner is a future solid defenseman. Yakupov provides some star power. Thoughts?
Joshua, San Jose, Calif.
Yes Joshua, you're being too Maple-Leafy. Essentially, you're offering a talented young offensive defenseman with flaws defensively (something the Oilers already have) and a player who is arguably a backup goalie (and currently hurt) for the No. 1 overall pick from 2012.
I got a few Yakupov questions in the mailbag (maybe because I wrote about him twice this week, here and here) and my thought is this: It may make sense for the Oilers to trade him eventually, but to do it now -- when his value is as low as it's been since they drafted him -- would be a mistake. Let him work his value back to where it was after last season. I may be wrong and he could be traded tomorrow, but my expectation is that he learns from the benching, works harder and starts scoring goals again for the Oilers.
Are the Sharks the Oregon Ducks of the NHL this season? They're faster and deeper than any other team, and they don't even have Raffi Torres or Martin Havlat back yet. Do you think that teams will place a greater emphasis on adding speed in the next few years as a result of the Sharks' success?
Ananth, Cupertino, Calif.