Not exactly a shocker.
What do you think he expected after yet another inconsistent season where his positioning didn't improve one bit and he even temporarily lost his starter gig to friggen Grosenick during playoffs?
If he can't properly beat out Grosenick for an AHL starter gig then he'd be dellusional to think he's gonna get an NHL roster spot all while still waiver exempt. He was never gonna get that spot.
This. People continue to overrate Askarov's readiness. Don't get me wrong, he has made good progress, but... he still has a long way to go. Troy Grosenick was almost out of the game a year ago, both goalies benefited from playing on a strong Milwaukee squad. Putting up comparable numbers to Grosenick or getting benched for him in the playoffs is not a great sign from Askarov.
Askarov still has some crazy skills, and he's getting better at managing his glove and arms and upper body positioning. He legs are great. But he does continue to struggle with focus and positioning. I don't mind when he wanders so much... the zany bodychecks and flying pokechecks and all that are entertaining, and he doesn't get burned very often on those extreme cases. But just in terms of his regular tracking he loses his posts or his depth in the crease, and still has work to do on just making sure he's in the best position to stop the puck more often - then he won't have to rely on crazy leg movements or desperation saves to bail him out as much.
Nashville has hired back Mitch Korn, and I'm sure they are going to work even harder on honing Askarov's game in the coming season. Whether that's in Milwaukee or in Nashville is still a little up in the air. Askarov is not optimally ready for the NHL yet - however at this point in time, Nashville doesn't have another backup signed, so depending on how the rest of the UFA goalie carousel settles out, they could still decide to throw caution to the wind and bring Askarov up ahead of schedule. Askarov's raw skills and abundant confidence will probably allow him to survive in the NHL while they continue to work on refining his game, he's not likely to have his development hurt by it. Still, I would rather see him have another full year as a starter in Milwaukee first. The team won't likely be as strong as last season, so Askarov would have a bigger test there. If Kevin Lankinen can't find a multi-year deal in free agency, I think it would be wise for the Preds to bring Lankinen back for 1 more season as Saros' backup, and let Askarov have another year starting and working on his game in Milwaukee.
Then let's see where that goes before all this talk about him needing to call his agent or make any demands. Right now, he's just not an NHL-ready player, so all that talk is ridiculously premature. Let's see him make the NHL first, on merit, then we'll see past that if he becomes good enough to be a starter one day. People shouldn't act like that's a sure thing.