Nail Yakupov on limited ice time: 'It’s pretty cold on the bench'

Edmonton Oilers sophomore forward Nail Yakupov has seen his ice time decrease over the team's past two games, with only 9:53 played on Dec. 21 against the St. Louis Blues and 6:29 on Dec. 23 against the Winnipeg Jets.

"I want to play more," said Yakupov. "It’s pretty cold on the bench, but I have to work in practice and find more minutes."

General manager Craig MacTavish told the Edmonton Journal that Yakupov needs to improve the defensive aspect of his game in order to see regular minutes, and adds "I don’t think it’s going to serve him well" in relation to a possible AHL demotion.

The 20-year old has scored six goals and added eight assists with 72 shots on goal this season, but is currently a league-worst minus-25 and has been relegated to the team's fourth line for the time being.

Yakupov did score one goal and added an assist in Edmonton's last game against Winnipeg - a 6-2 victory - and the team will be back in action Friday against the Calgary Flames. 

The amount of ice time that Yakupov will see is very much up in the air.