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

[Honour Over Glory]

I get Trotz doesn't want back another goalie so its a matter of which prospect moves the needle for him most. I wonder if something like Pens 1st in 2026, Pickering, Poulin (change of scenery) for Askarov and the Avs 3rd.

Pens can then shop Blomqvist to another team to recoup a pick.

 

[FinlandPanther]

I get Trotz doesn't want back another goalie so its a matter of which prospect moves the needle for him most. I wonder if something like Pens 1st in 2026, Pickering, Poulin (change of scenery) for Askarov and the Avs 3rd.

Pens can then shop Blomqvist to another team to recoup a pick.

Blomqvist will be better than Askarov.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

I get Trotz doesn't want back another goalie so its a matter of which prospect moves the needle for him most. I wonder if something like Pens 1st in 2026, Pickering, Poulin (change of scenery) for Askarov and the Avs 3rd.

Pens can then shop Blomqvist to another team to recoup a pick.

I think the Preds could still use a goalie back. After all, we’d need to replace Askarov as the Milwaukee starter. Just that goalie wouldn’t be the primary return. And doesn’t need to be a top prospect with serious NHL potential. But if somebody who could be a reasonable AHL starter was displaced as a result of a team acquiring Askarov, then the Preds could be interested in picking up that player as a lesser component of any deal.

For example, as posted somewhere earlier in this thread, a deal with San Jose such as Askarov+Tomasino for Bystedt+Chrona might be attractive to the Preds, because giving up a young forward in need of a change of scenery like Tomasino to have a goalie back for Milwaukee to replace Askarov would help fill an organizational need.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

We'll agree to disagree. If he tells the Preds he has decided that he no longer wants to live in North America, that he wants to live, play and be with his family for the rest of his life in Russia, what can they do? He can find a way to break his NHL contract, through lawyers if need be. I know it was long ago but Radulov did, and then when all was forgotten and forgiven, he returned to North America and eventually signed for significant money.

I think if you followed Askarov and his journey, you'd get the sense that moving back to Russia is not likely his motivation here. But for sure, if that was his angle, we would be seeing a mutual contract termination, and away he would go. That's not what's happening here. He wants to play in the NHL. Just he wants it sooner than he has earned.

The Rusians don't care about any NHL/KHL agreement, do you think they care when they are banned from all International events by the IIHF, World Juniors, IOC and the NHL? The NHL is not even making a Russian team for the In-Season International Cup this year, a pure slap in the face to Putin and the Russians.

I disagree, the Russians do care. They don't want the NHL poaching their young talent anymore than the NHL wants the KHL to poach theirs. That's why a truce has been maintained. If the new split between the Federation and KHL has opened up the chance of NHL teams to buyout KHL contracts by giving money directly to KHL teams more openly than before, that's one thing, but it doesn't change the overall truce and mutual honoring of contracts. Now, that truce could be broken at any time, and maybe as a Russian agent Millstein has some vested interest in trying to catalyze that kind of war? But if it did happen with Askarov, it would very much be a new thing, and probably not in the best interests of either league.

And the comments by @Porter Stoutheart that KHL teams won't value or want him, have you seen the top goalies in the KHL, Zach Fucale and a whole bunch of nobodies are top ten: KHL Goalie Stats 2023-2024

But Zach Fucale made around $600,000 last year. My point is not that Askarov simply wouldn't have a place. I don't know if St.Petersburg retains his rights or not, but whether they do or don't, a place would be found for him. That said, the Russian pipeline is stocked very well with goaltenders. The last few NHL drafts will illustrate that. Askarov still hasn't proven anything in the KHL, and he did not leave as an established KHL goaltender by any stretch (in fact, he partially left because he couldn't get playing time there). There is nothing at the moment that would make Askarov stand out as a player who would earn a special level of salary. The top KHL players get something like maybe $1-1.5M these days. Askarov would not enter in that category, he'd more likely be in that $500,000 range.

Now granted, there are other perks and bonuses available in the KHL beyond just the base salary. Plus a dramatically lower tax rate (around 13% as opposed to 40%ish here). And depending on what city he lived in (not Moscow or St.Petersburg though!) there could be cost of living differences that also played a role when comparing salaries.

But all that is to say, he would not be getting some HUGE financial windfall by switching to the KHL. In the immediate term, he'd get more than the $300k or so that he'd probably have made (before taxes!) in Milwaukee this season. Well, he has already pocketed $92,500 of that. If he refuses to report, he'll get 0 the rest of this season. It sounds like the Preds would be able to toll his contract under suspension too, so maybe he's really stuck at zero in North America and completely unable to move without a termination, however. But if he had just played out this season and finished out his ELC, he'd very quickly be in line for a bigger payday in North America starting in 2025-26 than he'd ever get in Russia.

Anyway, I just don't think the Russia part of the equation is a significant factor in what's going on here. Askarov wants to play in the NHL, and he wants to do it NOW, and he wants to do it for a team which doesn't have a #1 goalie signed for 9 more seasons. That's the real motivation here IMO.

 

[Habs Halifax]

Not really. Wedgewoods contract could easily be buried if he did clear waivers in a crazy scenario where Askarov reports to camp and shows marked improvement enough to be the backup

Still sends the wrong message. No need to try to spin it. If you were Askarov and his agent, you would not like it. Preds either believe in him or they don't. There would be nothing wrong with him being a back-up playing 20-30 games for the next 2 or 3 years and if he is the guy some think he is, his trade value would be high.

Doubt teams are going to pay the high price. 95 AHL games an 3 NHL games is not enough and goalies are very unpredictable.

 

[AuraSphere]

Very few times does a potential franchise altering young goalie become available. If you're the Leafs you're putting Cowen + Minten on the table

 

[Peter Griffin]

Trotz has handled this situation so comically bad.

 

[SAS]

Absolutely agree. Trotz created this mess by not only giving Saros an 8 year deal, but then signing Wedgewood to a 2 year deal!

Trotz has handled this situation so comically bad.

 

[Peter Griffin]

Absolutely agree. Trotz created this mess by not only giving Saros an 8 year deal, but then signing Wedgewood to a 2 year deal!

The Canucks have basically written the handbook on how to bring up a high profile prospect goalie over the past 15 years. First with Schneider, then with Markstrom(although he was a lot more experienced) and finally with Demko. 2 years in the AHL, 2 years as backup in the NHL and then hand over the reigns as starter. They ended up moving Schneider before giving him the #1 job but that didn’t work out poorly for them.

 

[preds1]

Trotz has handled this situation so comically bad.

I'm willing to bet he and Mitch Korn have done their due diligence and have concerns on him being ready for a full time NHL gig right now. Maybe he beats out Wedgewood for the backup, maybe he doesn't. But Trotz brought in some top free agents this year and last and put a solid team together. He has his goalie locked up. (contract length is another conversation) Giving Askarov a spot on the team just because he wants one would be handling it bad. Not saying his long-term career concerns are invalid, because they're not. But it might be a little premature for him to be going down this road.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Still sends the wrong message. No need to try to spin it. If you were Askarov and his agent, you would not like it. Preds either believe in him or they don't. There would be nothing wrong with him being a back-up playing 20-30 games for the next 2 or 3 years and if he is the guy some think he is, his trade value would be high.

Doubt teams are going to pay the high price. 95 AHL games an 3 NHL games is not enough and goalies are very unpredictable.

I think it's definitely clear that the Preds don't believe in Askarov. Why would they? Players need to earn that belief. You can't just hand it to them based on how high they were drafted. He certainly has potential, and they are willing to continue to work him so that he realizes that potential. But they simply don't believe he's ready for NHL action yet, that much is very clear.

 

[Nikishin Go Boom]

Trotz has handled this situation so comically bad.

Yes and no.

Trotz is running this team like he only cares about the next 2-4 years. Preds will be in for a mini rebuild after that.

The team will have a few key players on the down slope if not aged out after that 4 year period. While they have a good farm, it will be hard for the team to replace the production of prime / down slope March, Stamkos, Josi, Saros, ROR, and Skjei.

Trotz is hoping to get lucky during the next 2-4 year period by keeping prime Saros instead of trying the Hurricanes method of trying to be good for a long time without carrying aging contracts.

Im sure some will jump on me but i am not saying the preds will be void of talent after this 2-4 period. Im just saying that the previous mentioned names will be on the tail end of the age performance curve or just about to reach it. That is a lot of cup level talent to try to replace, even for a farm like the Preds.

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

Yes and no.

Trotz is running this team like he only cares about the next 2-4 years. Preds will be in for a mini rebuild after that.

The team will have a few key players on the down slope if not aged out after that 4 year period. While they have a good farm, it will be hard for the team to replace the production of prime / down slope March, Stamkos, Josi, Saros, ROR, and Skjei.

Trotz is hoping to get lucky during the next 2-4 year period by keeping prime Saros instead of trying the Hurricanes method of trying to be good for a long time without carrying aging contracts.

Im sure some will jump on me but i am not saying the preds will be void of talent after this 2-4 period. Im just saying that the previous mentioned names will be on the tail end of the age performance curve or just about to reach it. That is a lot of cup level talent to try to replace, even for a farm like the Preds.

Yes, this is exactly what he's going for. Maximize whatever remote shot the team has during the Josi/Forsberg years and then the prospects will take over and we'll be in for a bit of a rebuild. You can't tie that kind of push to an unready 22 y/o, and the terms of Saros' deal were probably what was required to keep him in Nashville. There is a very obvious spot about 4 years out, with the forward contracts expiring, and Josi declined, where Askarov would have a shot to take over as the rebuild starts (after having had a few years backup duty) and Saros still has some in the tank to help another team and will get traded.

 

[Peter Griffin]

Yes and no.

Trotz is running this team like he only cares about the next 2-4 years. Preds will be in for a mini rebuild after that.

The team will have a few key players on the down slope if not aged out after that 4 year period. While they have a good farm, it will be hard for the team to replace the production of prime / down slope March, Stamkos, Josi, Saros, ROR, and Skjei.

Trotz is hoping to get lucky during the next 2-4 year period by keeping prime Saros instead of trying the Hurricanes method of trying to be good for a long time without carrying aging contracts.

Im sure some will jump on me but i am not saying the preds will be void of talent after this 2-4 period. Im just saying that the previous mentioned names will be on the tail end of the age performance curve or just about to reach it. That is a lot of cup level talent to try to replace, even for a farm like the Preds.

None of this addresses what I said though. Do you think Askarov would be refusing to report to camp if they hadn’t signed Wedgewood to a 2 year contract , effectively blocking him from likely NHL action for another 2 years? I don’t.

 

[Nikishin Go Boom]

None of this addresses what I said though. Do you think Askarov would be refusing to report to camp if they hadn’t signed Wedgewood to a 2 year contract , effectively blocking him from likely NHL action for another 2 years? I don’t.

i does address it as Askarov serves no purpose of being an NHL backup. the team should want to get Askarov 50 or so starts.

wedgewood has little to do with askarov. It would be askarov or Saros. Based on the Preds timeline, they went with Saros.

 

[Peter Griffin]

i does address it as Askarov serves no purpose of being an NHL backup. the team should want to get Askarov 50 or so starts.

wedgewood has little to do with askarov. It would be askarov or Saros. Based on the Preds timeline, they went with Saros.

How does it serve him no purpose? Worked well for Demko.

 

[Nikishin Go Boom]

How does it serve him no purpose? Worked well for Demko.

Demko wasnt a backup until the prototypical nhl goalie age of 24 (6 weeks short of 24 when the season started). Askarov is 22 right now. Another season of 1G starts is needed for him.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

I think the Preds could still use a goalie back. After all, we’d need to replace Askarov as the Milwaukee starter. Just that goalie wouldn’t be the primary return. And doesn’t need to be a top prospect with serious NHL potential. But if somebody who could be a reasonable AHL starter was displaced as a result of a team acquiring Askarov, then the Preds could be interested in picking up that player as a lesser component of any deal.

For example, as posted somewhere earlier in this thread, a deal with San Jose such as Askarov+Tomasino for Bystedt+Chrona might be attractive to the Preds, because giving up a young forward in need of a change of scenery like Tomasino to have a goalie back for Milwaukee to replace Askarov would help fill an organizational need.

In that case, Blomqvist + O'Connor + Pens 2nd in 2026 for Askarov + Tomasino.

Blomqvist will be better than Askarov.

Well as a Pens fan I'm fine with that too with not dealing Blom. It was more or less just to get closer to ready prospects to speed it up for the Pens. Murashov is also highly ranked within the Pens as well as Blomqvist.

 

[Peter Griffin]

Demko wasnt a backup until the prototypical nhl goalie age of 24 (6 weeks short of 24 when the season started). Askarov is 22 right now. Another season of 1G starts is needed for him.

Says who? Demko played 3 years of college hockey, only ever amassing 46GP in any season. He never played this mythological need of 50 or so starts. Shesterkin never played more than 39GP in the KHL and came over and served two years in a backup role. Didn’t hold him back.

This whole ideology that a player “has to” do this or be a certain age is the caveman-level mentality that led Trotz to sign a journeyman backup that is now causing this rift.

 

[Ghost of Murph]

Can't blame Trotz for going with a known quantity during the window he has with the current core. Also can't blame Askarov for wanting to advance his career. Hopefully it works out well for both parties.

 

[Nikishin Go Boom]

Says who? Demko played 3 years of college hockey, only ever amassing 46GP in any season. He never played this mythological need of 50 or so starts. Shesterkin never played more than 39GP in the KHL and came over and served two years in a backup role. Didn’t hold him back.

This whole ideology that a player “has to” do this or be a certain age is the caveman-level mentality that led Trotz to sign a journeyman backup that is now causing this rift.

how old was Shesterkin when he came over? 24. and he got 37 total starts that season between the NHL and AHL. His first full NHL season he was 25.

Demko started the season he turned 23 in the AHL and then was promoted up in January.

Swayman was turning 23 in a month when he made it to the league. he still got 46 total starts that year (41 in NHL and 5 in the AHL)

Vas started his 21 years of age season in Syracuse before promoting up to play 24 times for TB in 15-16. Granted he was the full fledge starter at 22.


But Vas was ready at 21/22. Askarov hasnt shown that.

Again Wedgewood has little to do with blocking Askarov. If Askarov was ready he would easily be the 2G in Nashville, getting 20-25 starts in the NHL and 15-20 in the AHL. Wedge would simply by the 3rd wheel in the room getting 5-10 starts. leaving ~57 starts for Saros. it would seem they dont see him as that guy yet and would rather give him 40+ starts in the AHL and a handful in the NHL instead of 35+ in the league. hard to blame seeing how he is only 22.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Says who? Demko played 3 years of college hockey, only ever amassing 46GP in any season. He never played this mythological need of 50 or so starts. Shesterkin never played more than 39GP in the KHL and came over and served two years in a backup role. Didn’t hold him back.

This whole ideology that a player “has to” do this or be a certain age is the caveman-level mentality that led Trotz to sign a journeyman backup that is now causing this rift.

I don't know why you assume such simplistic thinking on Trotz's part, or try to frame things just based on the number of games some other goalies played?

The bottom line is that they don't believe Askarov is ready for the NHL, period. He needs more work. It's not based on what age or experience level some other goalie who is not named Askarov compiled for some other team in the past. And it doesn't come with a very specific number of additional needed starts attached to it, there is not a requisite threshold number that will magically transform Askarov into an NHL caliber goalie. But whether he can get 50, 60, or 70 (including a long playoff run) in the AHL in the coming season, it's going to be significantly more than he'd get as backup in the NHL. And they think that will make him a better goalie in the long run. This being the case, Askarov's unreadiness forced them to sign Wedgewood. If Askarov was better/more ready, then they wouldn't have needed to sign Wedgewood at all.

But they didn't make that evaluation on a whim, they didn't just say on July 1st, "Oh look, a really wonderful goalie like Scott Wedgewood is available, let's sign him! Oops, now what do we do with Askarov? Oh well, he can just play another year in Milwaukee then, too bad for him."

The cart and horse are hooked up in the wrong order if you think that's what happened.

Instead, after watching Askarov's development closely for the last two years, they said in June "Damn. It looks like he needs more time to develop. Now what do we do? Hey Lanky, you want to come back? No? You want 2x$2M...? Eh, hold on, that's too much."... fast forward to July 1st "We still need a backup and Lankinen wants too much. Let's throw some offers at other guys. Wedgewood will take 2x$1.5M? Ok. Worst case we can waive him in Year 2 if Askarov steps up."

 

[Peter Griffin]

I don't know why you assume such simplistic thinking on Trotz's part, or try to frame things just based on the number of games some other goalies played?

The bottom line is that they don't believe Askarov is ready for the NHL, period. He needs more work. It's not based on what age or experience level some other goalie who is not named Askarov compiled for some other team in the past. And it doesn't come with a very specific number of additional needed starts attached to it, there is not a requisite threshold number that will magically transform Askarov into an NHL caliber goalie. But whether he can get 50, 60, or 70 (including a long playoff run) in the AHL in the coming season, it's going to be significantly more than he'd get as backup in the NHL. And they think that will make him a better goalie in the long run. This being the case, Askarov's unreadiness forced them to sign Wedgewood. If Askarov was better/more ready, then they wouldn't have needed to sign Wedgewood at all.

But they didn't make that evaluation on a whim, they didn't just say on July 1st, "Oh look, a really wonderful goalie like Scott Wedgewood is available, let's sign him! Oops, now what do we do with Askarov? Oh well, he can just play another year in Milwaukee then, too bad for him."

The cart and horse are hooked up in the wrong order if you think that's what happened.

Instead, after watching Askarov's development closely for the last two years, they said in June "Damn. It looks like he needs more time to develop. Now what do we do? Hey Lanky, you want to come back? No? You want 2x$2M...? Eh, hold on, that's too much."... fast forward to July 1st "We still need a backup and Lankinen wants too much. Let's throw some offers at other guys. Wedgewood will take 2x$1.5M? Ok. Worst case we can waive him in Year 2 if Askarov steps up."

All this is fine if that’s what they have decided. What I’m suggesting is, don’t be surprised if your recent high pick, who now sees no realistic shot of getting an NHL shot in the near future, asks to be traded. For all we know Askarov voiced his concerns after Wedgewood was signed and is only now threatening to sit out.

The potential that Askarov’s value could plummet, or become nothing, is why I feel Trotz has handled this situation poorly.

 

[Filthy Dangles]

He’s going to San Jose

 

[91Fedorov91]

He’s going to San Jose