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Yakupov has also played well this year when teamed with Connor McDavid, but not well on the same lime as Mark Letestu, who isn’t known as an NHL point producer. Of course, there’s a universe of difference between playing with McDavid and Letestu, but Yakupov’s solid play with Roy was a good sign he doesn’t need to be teamed with Superman to succeed.

Yakupov seems to do best when teamed with a fast north-south skating centre and also when his coach is more of a people person than a stickler for defensive play.

Overall, though, he’s been at best a mediocre winger for the Oilers, often looking lost on the ice. Still, I suspect he’ll get another chance. He’s not a bad bet.

Which team is most likely to make that bet? To determine this, I looked at which NHL teams have the greatest need for a second line winger in 2016-17.

Eight teams stood out: the New Jersey Devils, Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks, Tampa Bay Lightning, Buffalo Sabres, Winnipeg Jets, Carolina Hurricanes and Montreal Canadiens.

The Toronto Maple Leafs would also be on the list, as they have need at every position, but with two young attacking prospects like Mitch Marner and William Nylander, I just can’t see Toronto biting on Yakupov.

Let’s look at the eight in turn:

New York Islanders

If top wingerKyle Okposo, 57 points in 72 games, leaves as an unrestricted free agent this July then the Islanders will have a gaping hole to fill. They will be counting on Brock Nelson, 38 points in 73 games,Josh Bailey, 31 points in 73 games, and Anders Lee, 33 points in 74 games.