Weekes: Askarov has informed the Predators he will not report to AHL team, asks for trade

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Patty Ice

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William Eklund.

I don't think San Jose gives up a future 1st, but it isn't that crazy of an idea if it is top 10 protected. Askarov is a 22 year old former 11th overall pick who is under team control until he is 27. We're talking about a long term core piece.

Clearly, nobody valued Askarov enough to give up a top 10 pick this year or next year, but a top 10 protected 2025 pick either means that San Jose is giving up a pick outside the top 10 of the 2025 draft, or they are giving up an unprotected 2026 pick, which should be in that 6-15 type wheelhouse.

Honestly, I think this is exactly what Trotz asking price will be around.

Nashville is all in and they have a ton of picks in next year's draft (2 of each in the first 3 rounds). What is going to whet their appetite is a young, cheap guy that is already contributing at the NHL level.

I could see a deal that involves Eklund but I know most Sharks fan hate that thought. I'm not sure if I even like it but it is interesting to me.

To Nashville:
Willam Eklund

To San Jose:
Yaroslav Askarov
Phillip Tomasino

Might need some adjustments here and there but this is the foundation of the deal. Nashville gets a talented young cheap winger that can help out in the immediate and should have money available when he needs to be re-signed. Sharks get their goalie of the future plus a talented, yet frustrating winger to replace Eklund that is not much older but is not finding the opportunity because of said frustrating elements in his game.

I know Sharks fans will hate it purely because Eklund is involved (and rightfully so) and Tomasino is the type of talent they love to loathe. However, I think this is where a deal is to be found for a talent like Askarov.
 

Scoresberg

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I don't see Trotz being interested in draft picks right now. He wants help for the current team rather sooner (in 1-2 years) than later (in 3-5 years).

Also, he still holds all the leverage when it comes to Askarov. He doesn't need to trade him for scraps and B prospects.

I think San Jose makes a lot of sense. Someone like Edström or Musty. Eklund I realize may be a tall order.

I believe Ottawa could sniff around. Someone like Pinto could be a nice get.

I feel like Columbus will also ask around. They have an up-and-coming team with a deep prospect pool and no real #1 goalie in the pipeline. They should have interest.
 

Hinterland

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I don’t blame him, he’s clearly NHL ready and the Predators seem happy to bury him in the AHL for some reason. I can understand re-signing Saros but bringing in Wedgewood was a slap in Askarov’s face.

The Predators are clearly not treating Askarov fairly so really tough to blame him here.
He lost his AHL gig to Troy friggen Grosenick...during playoffs...and if he wasn't the top goalie prospect of the Franchise he wouldn't have gotten another chance.

His playoffs were very much like his entire season...pretty up and down. That's what you're gonna get if you're always gambling like Askarov does. There's no consistency in his game and I never got the impression that he's actually working on his weaknesses. Being fun to watch for the audience is a good thing but the performance has to be there as well. As a goalie you can't just be fun and rely on luck. You need a foundation to rely on.

He's an exciting, high upside goalie prospect but he's shown almost zero learning curve ever since getting drafted. He's not trending nicely at all and that's a concern. He's still young but at this point he's a project at best and very far from NHL ready. A goalie with 0 security or consistency in his game is bound to get lit up in the NHL.

I could be wrong but I think this kid is dellusional and living in denial. He's refusing to work on his weaknesses just like he's now refusing to report to a team where he couldn't even keep his gig during playoffs.

I think an honest talk with the player about his attitide is needed before trading for Askarov.
 
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BB88

Registered User
Jan 19, 2015
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So much for the masterplan

Luckily no one could see this coming….

Been saying it for long time, they should have traded either Saros or Askarov when their value was at it’s peak but nope let’s try building Minnesota 2.0 instead. A team good enough to make the playoffs, not bad enough to draft at the top or good enough to compete. Masterclass Gm work
 
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Scoresberg

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He lost his AHL gig to Troy friggen Grosenick...during playoffs...and if he wasn't the top goalie prospect of the Franchise he wouldn't have gotten another chance.
Exactly. The timing of this trade request is what baffles me.. not the request itself. He knew he would be stuck behind Saros in the future but at the moment he's a goalie who's by no means ready for the NHL. He's gotten shelled the last two playoffs in the AHL, which is not a good sign.

Obviously, his potential is sky-high but he's still only 22 and to be honest, immature. Trotz has talked about how they've been needing to "man" him up which indicates that the biggest hurdles for him are on the mental side.

I think his trajectory could be something like this:

2024-25: AHL Starter
2025-26: NHL Backup
2026-27: NHL 1B Starter/NHL Backup
2027-28: NHL Starter
 

Porter Stoutheart

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He lost his AHL gig to Troy friggen Grosenick...during playoffs...and if he wasn't the top goalie prospect of the Franchise he wouldn't have gotten another chance.

His playoffs were very much like his entire season...pretty up and down. That's what you're gonna get if you're always gambling like Askarov does. There's no consistency in his game and I never got the impression that he's actually working on his weaknesses. Being fun to watch for the audience is a good thing but the performance has to be there as well. As a goalie you can't just be fun and rely on luck. You need a foundation to rely on.

He's an exciting, high upside goalie prospect but he's shown almost zero learning curve ever since getting drafted. He's not trending nicely at all and that's a concern. He's still young but at this point he's a project at best and very far from NHL ready. A goalie with 0 security or consistency in his game is bound to get lit up in the NHL.

I could be wrong but I think this kid is dellusional and living in denial. He's refusing to work on his weaknesses just like he's now refusing to report to a team where he couldn't even keep his gig during playoffs.

I think an honest talk with the player about his attitide is needed before trading for Askarov.
I think this is basically correct, although a little bit harsh on the progress he has made. I don't think he was unwilling to learn or that he hasn't improved on at least some of his weaknesses. He showed up with absolutely terrible fundamentals, but he is getting better. It's just he was so far off to begin with that even after 2 seasons he still has A LOT of work to do.

His glove is getting better. He still whiffs on some, but at first he basically had no idea whatsoever how to use his arms. He holds them better, drops his stick less, is a little less compacted in his net. I think he will always have a tendency to wander in the crease, but even though he still needs a lot of work on positioning, he doesn't overcommit quite as badly or often as before.

He has always been lights-out good on shootouts. Partly due to his unpredictability (and the flying pokechecks), but his legwork also takes away a lot of the space shootout players often go for.

So progress has been made. I think the problem is that he still needed another year or perhaps even two of making similar progress before he should have been thinking of his NHL future. And so you have to question his mental state if he couldn't recognize that. And it's that mental state that would worry me the most if I was an NHL GM thinking about trading for him. Whoever gets him will probably frame it as "goalies are crazy" anyway, and that it's good that he's confident, etc. But they better be sure he really wants to work on improving some of the holes in his game too.
 

Porter Stoutheart

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Preds choice of Vanacek (decent backup caliber goaltender) or Blackwood (younger and cheaper with higher upside)
Bordeleau (NHL ready former 2nd rounder middle 6 winger with ties in the Nashville org)
Bystedt (recent first round pick)

for Askarov

To Nashville:
Willam Eklund

To San Jose:
Yaroslav Askarov
Phillip Tomasino
I think either of these frameworks is a great fit for the Preds.

I could see Bordeleau or Tomasino as interchangeable names going either direction to balance up any perceived shortfalls.

I think in the first proposal you wouldn't put in Vanecek or Blackwood... rather, the Preds probably would be willing to take a minor league goalie contract back, Chrona or Romanov, rather than the higher NHL contracts, since it's our AHL level goalie we'd be replacing. But that's not necessary, there are still free agents which could be signed (I want Trotz to sign Kevin Lankinen right NOW to send that little message to Askarov's camp).

Eklund may be too high an ask. I do agree that Trotz would rather have an immediate-impact player than a prospect or pick. So Eklund would fit that desire, and he'd certainly be willing to add Tomasino to get that. But end of the day, something based on Bystedt or even Edstrom instead should probably be satisfactory.
 

Zine

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Feb 28, 2002
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I don’t blame him, he’s clearly NHL ready and the Predators seem happy to bury him in the AHL for some reason. I can understand re-signing Saros but bringing in Wedgewood was a slap in Askarov’s face.

The Predators are clearly not treating Askarov fairly so really tough to blame him here.

Askarov is not NHL ready, nor do I think he minds developing in the AHL.

The issue seems to be no viable path to a starting role in Nashville. The Preds all but gave that to Saros when they extended him long-term.
 
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Patty Ice

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I think either of these frameworks is a great fit for the Preds.

I could see Bordeleau or Tomasino as interchangeable names going either direction to balance up any perceived shortfalls.

I think in the first proposal you wouldn't put in Vanecek or Blackwood... rather, the Preds probably would be willing to take a minor league goalie contract back, Chrona or Romanov, rather than the higher NHL contracts, since it's our AHL level goalie we'd be replacing. But that's not necessary, there are still free agents which could be signed (I want Trotz to sign Kevin Lankinen right NOW to send that little message to Askarov's camp).

Eklund may be too high an ask. I do agree that Trotz would rather have an immediate-impact player than a prospect or pick. So Eklund would fit that desire, and he'd certainly be willing to add Tomasino to get that. But end of the day, something based on Bystedt or even Edstrom instead should probably be satisfactory.

Bystedt or Edstrom is definitely more palatable for Sharks fans 🤣

Bystedt might be the better fit for Nashville's goals. He is more likely to contribute sooner and has the larger offensive ceiling of the two.

I still would very much like to get Tomasino in the deal. I hate the way he has been looked over and think he could be a great linemate for Celebrini.
 

Porter Stoutheart

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Bystedt or Edstrom is definitely more palatable for Sharks fans 🤣

Bystedt might be the better fit for Nashville's goals. He is more likely to contribute sooner and has the larger offensive ceiling of the two.

I still would very much like to get Tomasino in the deal. I hate the way he has been looked over and think he could be a great linemate for Celebrini.
1724160269533.png


Do you folks have any particular attachment to Magnus Chrona? Seeing as we would need to replace Askarov in Milwaukee...

Askarov + Tomasino
for
Bystedt + Chrona

?
 
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Patty Ice

Mighty Luca
Feb 27, 2002
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View attachment 902103

Do you folks have any particular attachment to Magnus Chrona? Seeing as we would need to replace Askarov in Milwaukee...

Askarov + Tomasino
for
Bystedt + Chrona

?

That is doable.

Big Time is one of my favorites but that is great value.

Maybe add Bordeleau just to balance out the value. He's not really Grier's MO but he is a talented winger. At the very least, he can offer competition at training camp. He's ready for NHL time. And it goes without saying the family connection.
 
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Habs Halifax

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Jul 11, 2016
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Extending Saros before trading Askarov was dumb as hell.

92 AHL games and 3 NHL games. It's just not enough to know or have a good idea. I think the dumb decision was to only play Askarov 2 NHL games last year. If the Preds want top prospect value for someone that will (not might) be a starter, other GM's will prefer to see more sample size.

Someone like Samsonov had high potential as well. Not saying Askarov will become a meh goalie like Samsonov but it's possible. I suspect lots of GM's will be interested but not at a 1st/solid prospect cost.
 

Craig Ludwig

Registered User
Jun 16, 2005
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For what it's worth, he didn't quite make just $80k. He also had $92,500 signing bonus each year. And his NHL call ups netted him around $20-30k each year. So he totalled around $200k each season.

He wouldn't make a few million a year in Russia. He's an unproven prospect, not the biggest megastar in the league. He came over to the AHL because he couldn't get playing time in Russia! He can't even play there until his NHL contract expires anyway, so that's not an option. He just wants a trade to a different NHL organization. He is probably aware that an NHL job isn't guaranteed anywhere right now, he has to know that. But maybe he thinks his longer term pathway might be clearer somewhere else. It's a mistake on his part, because he had a great opportunity to develop into a better goalie with Korn and the Preds than he will likely have going somewhere else. He should have seized that opportunity and then saved this stunt for next off-season when his ELC was up and he could actually use the Russia bluff, or look for an offer sheet, that's when he would have had some actual leverage.
I highly respect all of your posts on this subject, but every one of them is a negative comment about Askarov the person and how he is not a great prospect of a goalie. Every publication out there has him as the top, if not second best goaltending prospect in the world. I think that Nashville and Trotz are incredibly screwing this up, a very assinine move signing Wedgewood for 2 years. He could definitely pull a Radulov and leave for a more lucrative 2-3 year contract in Russia, and make 3-5 Million more. The KHL is the wild wild west and certain teams don't give a damn about any NHL agreement, heck they just signed McLeod and Dube. Bottom line is that he is a very good goalie, and saying he's a bad one and not ready because of one bad playoff year, is silly. In Montreal Carey Price and Patrick Roy had some lousy playoff years, it's a small sample. Again, I respect your many comments on this post but it's almost like you ARE Barry Trotz hiding behind that moniker.
 

Leafshater67

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Nov 2, 2019
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Usually I’m against the player here but the Predators really gave him no choice. Sign a starter for an 8 year deal and then a backup for 2 years. That basically says he has to ride the busses for 80k a year and live in Wisconsin coming off of playing on a good KHL team where he probsbly made 10x that.

They’ve handled him extremely poorly and need to move him. He’s clearly not in their plans and they’ve been sitting on their hands on this for multiple off seasons. It’s clearer than ever and I don’t blame him for wanting out. Refusing the AHL is the only card he has
 

LeapOnOver

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Wrong. There is no transfer agreement. But the leagues are honoring eachothers' contracts. The KHL isn't going to want all their young prospects under contract to leave, they aren't going to stop honoring NHL contracts. and having the NHL honor theirs, over Askarov. CSKA and the RIHF were both heavily sanctioned over the Fedotov case, and that had a lot of "other things going on" beyond just a player jumping ship. Askarov isn't a hostage. He can go back to Russia. But he won't be able to play professional hockey there.
LOL, for a couple a months.
 

banks

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I can't remember the last time I bought into the hype on a goalie as much as I bought in with Askarov. And I'm still all-in!

As a Leafs fan, I'd be thrilled if they left Woll or Stolarz by the wayside to acquire Askarov instead. I'd give a ton for him!
 

Porter Stoutheart

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I highly respect all of your posts on this subject, but every one of them is a negative comment about Askarov the person and how he is not a great prospect of a goalie. Every publication out there has him as the top, if not second best goaltending prospect in the world. I think that Nashville and Trotz are incredibly screwing this up, a very assinine move signing Wedgewood for 2 years. He could definitely pull a Radulov and leave for a more lucrative 2-3 year contract in Russia, and make 3-5 Million more. The KHL is the wild wild west and certain teams don't give a damn about any NHL agreement, heck they just signed McLeod and Dube. Bottom line is that he is a very good goalie, and saying he's a bad one and not ready because of one bad playoff year, is silly. In Montreal Carey Price and Patrick Roy had some lousy playoff years, it's a small sample. Again, I respect your many comments on this post but it's almost like you ARE Barry Trotz hiding behind that moniker.
I am not negative at all on Askarov's potential. I just voted for him as Nashville's #1 prospect, and I do firmly believe he has the potential to be a great (possibly elite) #1 NHL goalie.

As a person, I like him even more. In Nashville, we watched some of the video/instagram stuff he put out when he first came over. He married really young, and seems to be a really fun-loving and genuine person. I think he's a free-spirited guy who is a breath of fresh air character-wise. Like his Borat costume above, he obviously has a sense of humor and even his antics on the ice show creativity and spirit. I love all that. I'm not sure stodgy NHL GMs do, but I love it.

But all of that can exist in parallel to the basic observations of his on-ice goaltending ability. He has absolutely elite skill in a couple of areas (legwork, reflexes/quickness), but he also has big holes in his technique. I believe that fixing those holes was a very doable task, and was firmly within his reach. It might have taken another year or two in the AHL, but I was very confident he would get there. Was. Now I'm less sure, since this stunt potentially sidesteps following through on that process.

Mentioning his AHL playoff failures only helps to illustrate the weaknesses in his game and how he is not YET fully ready. It is no "final" indictment. I believed he could have overcome those failures and emerge just as I say above as an elite NHL starter. But again, that doesn't just happen "by magic". It requires him recognizing and working on the things that led to those failures. Now I'm wondering if he is willing to do that.

But you are very wrong about your thoughts on his Russia options. He can't sign there while he is under contract in the NHL. Or if he does, it will ignite a huge war. I don't think either league is ready for that. And even if he did go that route, he's not an established KHL player. He probably would not make more than $1M there. KHL salaries are simply not that high for young unproven players. He would be more likely to make closer to the $200k that he got last season with the Preds (albeit without taxes, so yes, still more). Russia has lots of good young goalies. They are not going to make waves over Askarov. I think that's one area where Askarov made a big mistake with his bluff. He has no real Russia option. The Preds could simply make him sit and earn $0 while suspended. If he had just waited 1 more year, let his ELC expire, absorb the training from Mitch Korn and the 60 starts in Milwaukee they were planning for him, then he'd have been in a much much better position to demand a trade (or sign an offer sheet) next summer. He jumped the gun.

LOL, for a couple a months.
Until July 1st, 2025. Unless an ELC can be tolled if he's suspended? Then he might have to wait until he's 27? :dunno:
 

REALTALK81

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I can't remember the last time I bought into the hype on a goalie as much as I bought in with Askarov. And I'm still all-in!

As a Leafs fan, I'd be thrilled if they left Woll or Stolarz by the wayside to acquire Askarov instead. I'd give a ton for him!
Would love to see a tandem of Woll and Askarov going forward. We could offer Robertson + as both are looking for a change of scenery but Nashville could probably get more in another deal.
 
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Scoresberg

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Bystedt or Edstrom is definitely more palatable for Sharks fans 🤣

Bystedt might be the better fit for Nashville's goals. He is more likely to contribute sooner and has the larger offensive ceiling of the two.

I still would very much like to get Tomasino in the deal. I hate the way he has been looked over and think he could be a great linemate for Celebrini.
Is Bystedt a center or a winger? What position did he play last year in the AHL?
 
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