The 29-year-old ranked second in the NHL with 210 blocked shots last season after leading the league with 283 in 2014-15.
Russell was traded by the Calgary Flames to the Dallas Stars prior to February's deadline. He appeared in 11 regular-season games and 12 playoff contests for the Stars.
The Edmonton Oilers shipped the former first overall pick to the St. Louis Blues on Friday, a team Yakupov was surprised to find out was in the mix for his services.
"I think it's a good thing for me,"Yakupov said. "I was expecting something. I didn't expect it was going to be St. Louis."
For Yakupov - who hasn't eclipse the 17-goal mark he reached in his rookie campaign - he feels a change of scenery could be just what he needs, especially leaving a team that seldom won hockey games.
"This is first time I've played on really, really good team," Yakupov said, according to Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I think it's awesome, I don't know what winning is.
"It's going to be a great move for me and I get to play with one of the best teams in the league," said Yakupov. "I'm looking forward to it."
Yakupov has amassed 50 goals and 11 points in 252 career games.
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Here are the fantasy repercussions following the news that F Nail Yakupov has been traded to the St. Louis Blues:
After years of disappointment and continually being pushed down the Oilers' depth chart, the Yakupov project in Edmonton is officially over. After four years as an Oiler, the first overall selection in 2012 never accumulated more than 33 points and never scored more than 18 goals in a single season.
Yakupov's career actually began on a high note. In 2012-13's shortened season, the top pick potted 17 goals and 14 assists in just 48 games. Since then, he's played at least 60 games in each of the following three years but failed to top 33 points in any one.
This lack of productivity led Yakupov to ultimately assume a bottom-six role with the continually rebuilding Oilers. Last year, he averaged just over 14 minutes of ice time. It was the third time in four years that he failed to see 15 minutes of action.
His role with the Blues
Opportunity and environment are significant factors in any player's production. Last season, the Blues scored only 20 more goals than Edmonton and sported a power play 3.4 percentage points superior to that of the Oilers. Yes, Yakupov is moving to a superior offensive team, but not a drastically better one.
In terms of fitting in, Yakupov should be expected to assume a third-line role with St. Louis. This would likely place him alongside winger Robby Fabbri, who picked up 37 points last season. This doesn't improve Yakupov's fantasy profile too much, but it should hold it steady in terms of five-on-five productivity.
The real factor in Yakupov's progression could come on the power play.
St. Louis lost David Backes and Troy Brouwer this offseason, and Jaden Schwartz and Alex Steen are dealing with early-season injuries. This could open a door for Yakupov to see time with the man advantage, potentially alongside fellow countryman Vladimir Tarasenko.
For his career, Yakupov has notched 16 goals and 16 assists on the power play. Incorporating him into either the first or second power-play unit shouldn't be too difficult for head coach Ken Hitchcock. If he can work his way onto the top unit, alongside Tarasenko, fantasy players should reconsider the written-off 23-year-old winger.
Astute fantasy players in both season-long and DFS formats should keep an eye on this development, as it could cause a rapid increase in Yakupov's productivity.
Draft day
An ADP of 245 will leave Yakupov off most draft boards, and rightfully so. But should the winger develop some chemistry alongside Fabbri and see time on the power play, he'll be worth keeping an eye on to begin the season.
Look to Yakupov as either a late-round flier or an early-season waiver wire addition, with his appeal being dependent on early productivity and his special teams role.
In deeper leagues, Yakupov should be afforded a late-round selection in hopes that he develops some early-season chemistry. However, he shouldn't be held for too long if he continues to disappoint.
Russell was traded by the Flames to the Dallas Stars before last season's trade deadline. He posted 19 points in 62 games between the two clubs, appearing in 11 contests with Dallas following the deal.
The 29-year-old spent parts of three seasons with Calgary after playing two years with the Blues and five campaigns with the Columbus Blue Jackets, who made him a third-round pick in 2005.
The trade comes after reports surfaced that the Oilers discussed a potential Yakupov deal with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Yakupov was drafted first overall by the Oilers in 2012, but hasn't lived up to his potential. The 23-year-old had a commendable 17 goals and 31 points in 48 games during his rookie campaign, but never managed more than 14 goals and 33 points in a season since.
Despite Yakupov's middling career so far, Blues general manager Doug Armstrong feels he can be a strong addition to the club.
"He's got the skill to complement our group, and the game is trending to younger and faster players," Armstrong said.
In Pochiro, the Oilers get the Blues' fourth-round pick in 2013. The 22-year-old spent the majority of last season with the ECHL's Quad City Mallards, with whom he posted nine goals and 26 points in 44 games.
As for Yakupov, he's expected to arrive in St. Louis on Saturday, according to Armstrong, where he'll sit out the club's game against the Blackhawks, but will practice with the team Monday.
The Devils plucked the 18-year-old with the 12th overall selection after he enjoyed a strong sophomore season with the Mississauga Steelheads of the Ontario Hockey League, tallying 21 goals and 61 points in 57 games.
The Devils recently assigned McLeod to the Steelheads, where he has three assists through two games. He contributed one goal In two preseason games with the Devils.
If it were based on the performances through the preseason alone, the Toronto Maple Leafs would bring a roster chock-full of rookies and other young players of limited experience to opening night.
But many more factors are considered when it comes to roster selection, and head coach Mike Babcock was quick to remind reporters of that Friday in advance of the team's final cuts.
"In my history in the league I've rushed some players the odd time and then they end up back in the minors and to me that's counter-productive," he said, according to Jonas Siegel of the Canadian Press.
"So we don't want to err on the over-excited side. We want to err, I think, on the cautious side. And if we make a mistake at the start of the year (those players are) allowed to change your mind over 20 games in the American League and get back. To me, that's the right mistake not the other way around."
Though music to the ears for the likes of Brandon Prust - who's trying to earn a contract in camp - and Roman Polak - who's competing for minutes with Nikita Zaitsev, Connor Carrick, and Frank Corrado - Babcock will, to an extent, have to manage this risk.
Toronto's third unit to start is expected to be Auston Matthews centering a combination of kids from a group that includes the likes of William Nylander, Zach Hyman, Mitch Marner, and Connor Brown.
The 26-year-old blue-liner will miss four-to-five weeks with a lower-body injury, general manager Ron Hextall announced Friday.
The injury is ill-timed for Del Zotto, who missed the final 28 games, and the first round of the playoffs, last season due to a wrist injury.
Del Zotto suited up in 52 games for the Flyers last season, recording 13 points.
The hole left in the Flyers' blue line from Del Zotto's injury should all but guarantee Ivan Provrov - the seventh overall selection in the 2015 draft - a roster spot.
