Burke: Yakupov draft interview worst interview I've ever had
By now, anyone watching hockey for the last 10 years or so is aware of the story of Nail Yakupov. Taken first overall by the Edmonton Oilers in 2012, he is widely considered to be one of the worst, if not THE worst, draft bust of all time. In a new interview from the Spittin' Chiclets podcast, former NHL GM Brian Burke says the signs were all there from the beginning.
Burke told the Spittin' Chiclets hosts that he wouldn't have taken Yakupov with Toronto's first overall pick that year even if the winger had fallen in his lap.
"We weren't going to take him. His draft interview was the worst interview I've ever had in my life. Terrible," Burke said.
"He was defiant, obnoxious, and sullen," he continued. "John Lilley, one of our scouts ... almost fought him in the interview, so it was not a good interview."
With the fifth overall pick, Burke ended up taking Morgan Rielly for the Maple Leafs. That worked out much better in the long run. Yakupov had a decent rookie season, picking up 31 points in 48 games. It all went downhill from there. He would eventually be traded to the St. Louis Blues. After one season there, the team decided not to extend him a qualifying offer, which means the restricted free agent became an unrestricted one. Yakupov signed with Colorado, playing 58 games and recording 16 points. He then returned to his home country of Russia and the KHL, where he's been ever since.
In the same Spittin' Chiclets interview, Burke discussed some of the best draft interviews that he's done during his days as a GM and gave high praise to Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog.
"He finished his interview and we wanted to have him sit down, help us talk to the other kids," Burke said. "I think he'll be a general manager in the league. I really do. I really respect him."
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MAY 21, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Juraj Slafkovsky | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Nick Suzuki | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Cole Caufield | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Phillip Danault | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Ivan Demidov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Seth Jarvis | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Eric Robinson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Alexandre Texier | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Sebastian Aho | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Alexandre Carrier | - | 1 | 1 | |
| William Carrier | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jake Evans | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Kaiden Guhle | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Alex Newhook | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Andrei Svechnikov | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Frederik Andersen | - | - | - | |
| Josh Anderson | - | - | - | |
| Jackson Blake | - | - | - | |
| Zachary Bolduc | - | - | - | |
| Jalen Chatfield | - | - | - | |
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