Yakupov will not play vs. Jets as Oilers follow 'concussion protocol'

The Edmonton Oilers will hold Nail Yakupov out of Saturday's game against the Winnipeg Jets after being hit into the board by Minnesota Wild forward Matt Cooke on Thursday.

“We’re going through the concussion protocol,” Oilers coach Dallas Eakins told the Edmonton Journal on Friday, adding "it was a hard hit, not a bad hit, nothing suspendable."

The coach also used the incident as a teaching tool for the team's other young players:

We used it in the video today (Friday) to show the players that all the teams are promoting back pressure and the forwards coming back hard aren’t pulling up. They’re looking to steal the puck or if a player turns up or gets stalled, they’ll hit you. It’s not a place to stop or stickhandle because somebody’s coming from the other side.

Yakupov is considered day-to-day and there is not timetable set for his return to the lineup due to the nature of the injury.