Avalanche sign Nail Yakupov to 1-year contract

The Colorado Avalanche have signed forward Nail Yakupov, the team announced Tuesday.

The contract is for one year and is worth $875,000, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Yakupov, taken first overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2012 draft, was dealt to the St. Louis Blues last October, but didn't receive a qualifying offer at season's end.

The 23-year-old never found his footing with the Oilers and failed to gain traction when given a new opportunity with the Blues. In 40 games during the 2016-17 campaign, Yakupov recorded nine points while averaging just over 10 minutes of ice time per game, frequently landing in the press box as a healthy scratch.

For his career, Yakupov's notched 120 points in 292 games, never living up to the buzz he generated coming out of junior. His best season came as a rookie in 2012-13, when he tallied 31 points in the lockout-shortened 48-game season.

For the Avalanche, who quite frankly have nothing to lose after a dreadful 48-point showing in 2016-17, it's a worthwhile gamble adding Yakupov at such a modest price.