Confirmed with Link: [SJS/NSH] Yaroslavl Askarov, Nolan Burke, 2025 COL 3rd round pick for David Edstrom, Magnus Chrona, 2025 VGK 1st round pick (conditional)

[herzausstein]

If I'm in Trotz's shoes, my biggest temptation would just be wanting to call Askarov's bluff and making him sweat a bit. Sure, getting a 1st round pick or a forward prospect from San Jose might seem ok. But the payoff is still pretty far off in those returns.

Whereas I'd get some immediate satisfaction in just signing Kevin Lankinen, and not answering the phone any time Askarov or his agent tried calling me. Let him actually miss camp and watch Lankinen or Wedgewood take his AHL starting job.

The trade for a pick or prospect can come later, after making him squirm for at least a few months.

Still several vet goalies we could hire for MIL .. or sign Haider to a 2-way contract. We will need another goalie for the AHL either way.

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

Well one look at the main boards and they'll say it'd be neither.

Yeah, but most of that is Montreal fans who think they are actual GMs trying to "win" trades.

If I'm in Trotz's shoes, my biggest temptation would just be wanting to call Askarov's bluff and making him sweat a bit. Sure, getting a 1st round pick or a forward prospect from San Jose might seem ok. But the payoff is still pretty far off in those returns.

Whereas I'd get some immediate satisfaction in just signing Kevin Lankinen, and not answering the phone any time Askarov or his agent tried calling me. Let him actually miss camp and watch Lankinen or Wedgewood take his AHL starting job.

The trade for a pick or prospect can come later, after making him squirm for at least a few months.

He absolutely needs to call the bluff unless he gets exactly the value they want for him. Askarov's camp think they'll get an offer sheet we won't match after he sits out a year?

 

[adsfan]

I think Poile and Trotz mis-managed this a little but the agent can also pound sand. Worst thing Trotz could do right now is make a knee-jerk trade.

Askarov has played well in Milwaukee during his two seasons. The problem is that he doesn't play as well in the playoffs. That is a huge issue at the NHL level. You can't give up 4 or 5 goals in a big playoff game. You have to be ready in the first minute of a period and in the last minute too.

Askarov lost the starting job in the playoffs BOTH seasons. Cooley outplayed him. Grosenick was at least equal to Askarov when he got hurt. No sane person is giving Askarov a big contract based on those results. He will get a million or so to be a back up most places in the NHL.

The Admirals were knocked out in the conference Finals 4-2 and 4-1, by a team that LOST the Calder Cup. The player who made a difference in the win was Mutter, not Askarov. The goalie who got the team that far this last season was Grosenick, not Askarov.

Asky has very little leverage, at the moment. He is overplaying his hand!

 

[BigFatCat999]

What’s on your shopping list?

 

[herzausstein]

What’s on your shopping list?

RHD and Centers as well as a replacement AHL goalie but those are a dime a dozen.

Askarov has played well in Milwaukee during his two seasons. The problem is that he doesn't play as well in the playoffs. That is a huge issue at the NHL level. You can't give up 4 or 5 goals in a big playoff game. You have to be ready in the first minute of a period and in the last minute too.

Askarov lost the starting job in the playoffs BOTH seasons. Cooley outplayed him. Grosenick was at least equal to Askarov when he got hurt. No sane person is giving Askarov a big contract based on those results. He will get a million or so to be a back up most places in the NHL.

The Admirals were knocked out in the conference Finals 4-2 and 4-1, by a team that LOST the Calder Cup. The player who made a difference in the win was Mutter, not Askarov. The goalie who got the team that far this last season was Grosenick, not Askarov.

Asky has very little leverage, at the moment. He is overplaying his hand!

Didnt askarov get injured during the playoffs at some point to? I see grigals had some backup games in there

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Still several vet goalies we could hire for MIL .. or sign Haider to a 2-way contract. We will need another goalie for the AHL either way.

Unless Lankinen is still looking for something impossible, assuming he's sufficiently "desperate", I'd have no problem offering him $1M/1yr. Nobody is offering him a spot anywhere today, so if he's willing to come in and battle Wedgewood to get his job back, he should take it.

Maybe he'll get interest on waivers if he got sent down to Milwaukee after camp, maybe not. So there is that little bit of extra risk when signing him vs. signing some more purely minor league guy. But we could still fall back on Haider in an emergency if that happened.

 

[Armourboy]

Yeah, but most of that is Montreal fans who think they are actual GMs trying to "win" trades.


He absolutely needs to call the bluff unless he gets exactly the value they want for him. Askarov's camp think they'll get an offer sheet we won't match after he sits out a year?

Sitting out a year won't get him an offersheet, he would still owe us that last season on his ELC.

Askarov has zero leverage, he either plays where they tell him too or he is stuck sitting not playing hockey until he is 27.

This isn't like Radulov where we had no contract but did have his rights. He still owes us a year and we have his rights.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

RHD and Centers as well as a replacement AHL goalie but those are a dime a dozen.


Didnt askarov get injured during the playoffs at some point to? I see grigals had some backup games in there

Askarov started the playoffs
6-3L vs Texas
4-1L vs Texas
Askarov lost the net with the Ads down 0-2 in a best-of-5 so Grosenick took over
Grosenick 5-3W vs Texas
Grosenick 4-1W vs Texas
Grosenick 5-3W vs Texas

next series
Grosenick 4-2L vs GR
Askarov back in
Askarov 5-2W vs GR
Askarov 3-2W vs GR
Askarov 4-2L vs GR - Askarov got hurt at the end of this game and Grosenick took over
Grosenick 2-0W vs GR

next series
Grosenick started all 5 games vs. Coachella, Grigals&Haider as backups for the first 4 games, Askarov was back as backup in Game 5.

 

[Gnashville]

What’s on your shopping list?

5 firsts, 3 2nds, and a GM’s first born son as my personal assistant

 

[Top 6 Spaling]

Echoing what others have said, I think this has less to do with the NHL/AHL split this year and more to do with he Saros extension. Barring injuries, he has no path to being a #1 here for years. Probably should have moved him before the extension was in place, or even better, not used such a high pick on a goalie.

Hoping we can flip him for a high quality C or RHD prospect

 

[BigFatCat999]

My biggest worry is that Svepchkov has the same agent Askarov and Egor.

 

[Armourboy]

Echoing what others have said, I think this has less to do with the NHL/AHL split this year and more to do with he Saros extension. Barring injuries, he has no path to being a #1 here for years. Probably should have moved him before the extension was in place, or even better, not used such a high pick on a goalie.

Hoping we can flip him for a high quality C or RHD prospect

I mean using the high pick doesn't really matter, Trotz wasn't the guy calling the shots then anyways. He's just dealing with the results.

It's pretty clear Poile had other plans.

 

[adsfan]

RHD and Centers as well as a replacement AHL goalie but those are a dime a dozen.


Didnt askarov get injured during the playoffs at some point to? I see grigals had some backup games in there

Yes, I believe he had a leg injury.

If I had to guess, it was a hamstring injury.

 

[Predsanddead24]

First and foremost, what a bizarre decision by Askarov. The wording is weird but it sounds like he's going to come to camp but won't report to the AHL if they send him down? If that was the plan why wouldn't you at a minimum see if you make the team before poisoning the well. But really as others have said the better play would just be to kick ass where ever you end up this season and then go the offer sheet route next offseason if you're still unhappy.

Second, maybe Trotz pulls a miracle on a return but if all we end up with out of the primo goaltending situation we had is a medicore return for Askarov and a market value contract for Saros then that's a pretty huge bag fumble. Hopefully, a lesson learned that just because you have assets doesn't mean you hold all the cards and that the trade market is what it is not what you think it should be.

Third, hopefully it's just two guys with big egos and an agent who adds to the problem, but it seems like there may be some culture issues in Milwaukee. Guys getting disgruntled because they feel they can't get a chance has been one of my big concerns with the overcooking philosophy. Some guys may be motivated to prove the doubters wrong but some percentage are going to say screw this I'd rather go somewhere I can get a shot. It's going to be interesting to see if we can manage to turn this prospect pool into NHL players.

 

[Kat Predator]

I also think the Sharks' new GM has shown that he isn't afraid to make moves, so yeah, makes sense that they're on the top of the list as of right now.

Holy understatements, Batman. heh

PS: Nothing ever happens in August.

 

[LCPreds]

i can see i picked a great day to check into how things are going in the offseason.

 

[Gnashville]

First and foremost, what a bizarre decision by Askarov. The wording is weird but it sounds like he's going to come to camp but won't report to the AHL if they send him down? If that was the plan why wouldn't you at a minimum see if you make the team before poisoning the well. But really as others have said the better play would just be to kick ass where ever you end up this season and then go the offer sheet route next offseason if you're still unhappy.

Second, maybe Trotz pulls a miracle on a return but if all we end up with out of the primo goaltending situation we had is a medicore return for Askarov and a market value contract for Saros then that's a pretty huge bag fumble. Hopefully, a lesson learned that just because you have assets doesn't mean you hold all the cards and that the trade market is what it is not what you think it should be.

Third, hopefully it's just two guys with big egos and an agent who adds to the problem, but it seems like there may be some culture issues in Milwaukee. Guys getting disgruntled because they feel they can't get a chance has been one of my big concerns with the overcooking philosophy. Some guys may be motivated to prove the doubters wrong but some percentage are going to say screw this I'd rather go somewhere I can get a shot. It's going to be interesting to see if we can manage to turn this prospect pool into NHL players.

The “overcooking” became a problem in the Red Wings organization in the past. That how we ended up with Jarnkrok. Guys get bored of the AHL and want the big league lifestyle.

 

[Scoresberg]

One thing to keep in mind that I do hope Trotz pulls the trigger rather sooner than later. Assuming he can get a cost-controlled, young-ish NHL-player as a return, it could do wonders for our current 3-4 year contending window.

I say move him now.

Also, chiming in on this other conversation, I do think we're starting to hurt ourselves a bit with the overcooking strategy. The league's getting younger by the day, so it's natural that these young kids don't see themselves rotting in the AHL for three, four or sometimes even five years. What has this overcooking strategy ever brought to us? I think we're historically bad at developing offensive talent, it might be the time to change that strategy anyways.

 

[Gh24]

Russia isn't really one of those places where you learn to question authorities, so I'm wondering how much this is Askarov requesting the trade or his agent looking for his payday.

 

[Armourboy]

The “overcooking” became a problem in the Red Wings organization in the past. That how we ended up with Jarnkrok. Guys get bored of the AHL and want the big league lifestyle.

Problem is Askarov isn't even cooked yet, let alone overcooked. Normally I'm not a fan of the overcooking thing, but in Askarov's case it doesn't even apply. He's impatient, he wants it all right now, and that's not really how this works.

In fact, Askarov is so impatient he actually is screwing himself over. Saying you won't report will automatically mean some GM's are gonna auto nope on him for that reason alone. Not to mention you keep it to yourself until camp is over you actually create a little bit of leverage because the organization would need a goalie in Milwaukee at that point. Not to mention if you manage to beat Wedgewood out, you end up not creating waves in the first place.

I have a feeling this is a case of an agent poisoning the well, telling him he isn't getting a big deal if he goes to Milwaukee. Problem is even if we do trade him the new team isn't giving him a big deal either, heck he might end up back in the AHL with them too.

 

[jumb0]

5 firsts, 3 2nds, and a GM’s first born son as my personal assistant

Come on. Be reasonable now....2nd born son.

 

[Predsanddead24]

Since I brought up the overcooking thing I guess I should clarify but I don’t think Askarov himself is overcooked. My concern is that we’re building a culture where guys feel like they won't get the chance even if they've earned it. Look at Stastney last year for example. He should have been in the NHL all season but we played guys who were worse (Barrie, Schenn, even Carrier and Fabbro I'd argue) ahead of him because his waiver status made him easier to send down. Because of that instead of getting a nice contract this offseason he's on a two-way once again. I can completely see how someone like Askarov can look at that situation and realize it isn't actually a meritocracy and if he has no real path to the NHL he'd rather get out of here ASAP. Then add in the Tolvanen, Afanasyev, Tomasino, Parsinnen situations and I think it's clear to see why a young guy feels the team doesn't do a great job of developing players. That doesn't even get into the fact that most other teams give their highly drafted goalies opportunities that they haven't necessarily "earned".

Also, it's all well and good to say well if Askarov wants to be the backup all he has to do is beat out Wedgewood but I don't really believe that's an option. You don't sign Wedgewood to a contract above the buriable limit for two years on a cap strapped team and then send him down. It also flies in the face of the "organizational depth" philosophy we always seem to have that prefers to send down waiver exempt guys rather than risk losing guys to waivers.

 

[PredsV82]

For everyone saying "we shouldn't have drafted Askarov" remember he was drafted in 2020 and at that point we did not know with any certainty that Saros was going to be a Vezina caliber goalie. I'm fine with the pick, and I'm fine with how he's been developed. Askarov is f***ing himself with this move. Prove something before you throw down this card, kid.

 

[herzausstein]

For everyone saying "we shouldn't have drafted Askarov" remember he was drafted in 2020 and at that point we did not know with any certainty that Saros was going to be a Vezina caliber goalie. I'm fine with the pick, and I'm fine with how he's been developed. Askarov is f***ing himself with this move. Prove something before you throw down this card, kid.

A goalie who had 31 and 40 starts with around .915 sv% the two seasons leading up to the draft shoudlve told them they had a starter. I called the 19-20 season a split start earlier but in all actuality 40 starts in a 69 game shortened season is a pretty decent starters load. Then there is the two seasons as a backup with 20+ starts each and a sv% of .923. All that at age 25 which indicates a possibility to continue to grow. What more did they need to show he was a starter?

 

[PredsV82]

A goalie who had 31 and 40 starts with around .915 sv% the two seasons leading up to the draft shoudlve told them they had a starter. I called the 19-20 season a split start earlier but in all actuality 40 starts in a 69 game shortened season is a pretty decent starters load. Then there is the two seasons as a backup with 20+ starts each and a sv% of .923. All that at age 25 which indicates a possibility to continue to grow. What more did they need to show he was a starter?

We knew he was a starter. We didn't know he was a "carry the team" goalie like Rinne yet. For all we knew Saros was going to be decent but not spectacular and this team historically needs an awesome goaltender to be successful. So I was cool with the pick when it happened