Sarnia Sting get Galchenyuk, Yakupov back for OHL playoff opener

Alex Galchenyuk and Nail Yakupov will play on Friday night. That much we know. And that's about it.

At the outset of the season, the Sarnia Sting's pair of top NHL draft prospect were supposed to be the league's flagship future franchise players. They were coming off posting a combined 180 points as rookies in Sarnia the previous season. New Sting coach-GM Jacques Beaulieu had significantly upgraded the talent around them, and they were ready to roll and possibly set off a debate over which should be the NHL's No. 1 pick?

Fate, to put it mildly, threw each a curve. Injuries and myriad misfortunes meant the Sting only had one or the other, never both, in the lineup for only 44 games across the 68-game schedule. Tomorrow's playoff opener vs. the Saginaw Spirit will mark the first time the two have skated together in a meaningful game since before the team was mathematically eliminated from last season's playoff chase. How close either will be to peak form is open to question, since they have had a surreal past six months.

Here's a timeline:

Sept. 16: During a preseason game, Galchenyuk loses an edge and his left knee crashes into the back of the goal. It looks like a serious injury.

Oct. 22: Ten games into the season, Yakupov already has 24 points. He's had five games with at least three points.

Oct. 25: The Sting announce Galchenyuk will need reconstructive knee surgery, ending his regular season.

Nov. 18: Yakupov injures his back after being checked away from the play by Sarnia's Garret Ross. He returns six days later to put up three points against Barrie, then misses two weeks.

Dec. 11: Yakupov returns in time to get his skating legs back for the world junior championship. He notches seven points in three games.

Jan. 3: Yakupov helps Russia beat Canada in the world junior semifinal, holds most exuberant post-game interview.

Jan. 5: Yakupov injures knee in Russia's 1-0 overtime loss to Sweden in the world junior gold medal game. He makes the tourney all-star team after recording nine assists for Russia. He's expected to miss a month.

Jan. 11: Yakupov remains NHL Central Scouting's top-ranked North American prospect. The scouting service classifies Galchenyuk as LV for "limited viewing."

Jan. 27: Yakupov returns ahead of schedule in Ottawa. The timing is great for NHL general managers and the media since the big league's all-star festivities are being held in the same city. While's not exactly able to stop on a dime, he scores a beauty strip-and-score unassisted goal in his return, nicking the puck from fellow top draft prospect Cody Ceci and beating world junior all-star goalie Petr Mrazek on the breakaway.

Jan. 29: Three days before the CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, Yakupov has to come out of the Sting's game in Kingston. The team decides against having him attend the game in Kelowna, B.C.; they obtain a doctor's note from a well-regarded clinic in London, Ont., saying the star needs rest.

Feb. 4: OHL commissioner David Branch suspends Yakupov two games for not attending the event. Branch tells sportswriter Ryan Pyette, "A doctor's note is very important, we're not saying it isn't. We're saying we would've liked to see him fly out to Kelowna and be examined by the doctors on site." Branch is roundly ripped for the decision. Many wonder how a four-hour cross-country plane flight is supposed to be good for a banged-up knee.

Mid-February-ish: Yakupov returns but is not putting up points at his old pace; he finishes with 16 points in 15 games post-knee injury compared to 53 in 27 beforehand. Reports out of Sarnia convey that Galchenyuk might come back for the end of the regular season.

Mar. 10: Yakupov is injured again after cutting into the middle of the ice surface and being caught with his head down by Owen Sound Attack captain Mike Halmo.

Mar. 12: With the prospect of meeting Owen Sound in the playoffs very much in play, the Sting try to play it coy about Yakupov's health. But Sportsnet reports he's out for the remaining three regular-season games.

Mar. 13: Halmo, who played in the Attack's next game following the collision with Yakupov, is put under league suspension. Normally, a team will sit a player out while the OHL reviews a questionable play so the games might be applied to any suspension it hands down. Owen Sound GM Dale DeGray is "frustrated" by the apparent about-face.

Mar. 14: Exactly 180 days after his injury, Galchenyuk plays about 10 minutes in his season debut. He looks good, but the Sting get spanked 7-1 by the Saginaw Spirit — who, of course, are now their playoff opponent.

Mar. 16: Halmo gets a 10-game suspension for his check to the head of Yakupov. Since Halmo is an overage and the ban would cover the first seven playoff games, it could conceivably end his junior tenure.

A few hours later, Galchenyuk is injured while taking a faceoff and leaves the Sting's game in London. Reports indicate it's a minor injury.

Mar. 22: The Sting announce both Galchenyuk and Yakupov will play on Friday vs. Sarnia. What happens next is anyone's guesstimate.

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Contact him at neatesager@yahoo.ca and follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.