from Damien Cox of The Spin,

What's good for P.K. Subban or Logan Couture or Nazem Kadri, no sir, that's not good enough for the Mightly Oil, and maybe they're right.

Maybe their young players are that damn good. And good on 'em for believing in the drafted products of years of losing.

But let's face it, as soon as Jordan Eberle and Taylor Hall signed monster long-term deals just before the lockout, it was more than obvious that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, no matter how problematic his shoulder issues may be, was going to get the same treatment when his turn came, no questions asked.

As will Nail Yakupov, presumably, after this year. If none of Eberle, Hall or RNH had to wait for the expiry of their entry level contracts before getting a massive extension, you can bet Yakupov, as a former No. 1 pick, won't be interested in the team suddenly taking a hard line with him.

See, with the Oilers, it's not exactly about rewarding these young players for what they actually do or have done. In fact, it's interesting that not one of the four won the Calder Trophy in their freshman season, while RNH was the only one who even made the NHL all-rookie team in his freshman year.

But Edmonton now has $18 million of cap space tied up in Eberle, Hall and Nugent-Hopkins, and Yakupov, presumably, will make it $24 million tied up in four players.

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