The phones of the Nashville Predators have been extremely busy since Juuse Saros signed an eight-year extension as so many teams want to know what’s the availability of top goalie prospect Yaroslav Askarov.
According to Pierre LeBrun, the Predators are willing to move the 22-year-old goalie, but the price has been set high as the organization feels it is warranted given the talent of Askarov already, where they drafted him, and the strong seasons he’s had so far.
The Nashville Predators have received numerous calls on goalie Yaroslav Askarov in the last 24 hours in the wake of the Juuse Saros extension news. The Preds are willing to move him but have set a high price they feel is warranted. Nashville would like to move into the top 5 of…
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) June 28, 2024
The Predators would like to move up in the draft to the top 5 of the first round through a trade involving Askarov if possible. Nothing has been done so far, but there should be a lot of discussions leading up to those picks.
The Predators shouldn’t have an urgency to trade Askarov as he is signed for one more year at $925,000 AAV and is exempt from waivers until the 2026-27 season. One thing that is noteworthy from Askarov is that he posted a picture on Instagram just hours after Saros signed his extension with Nashville saying “Everything happens for a reason.”
While this could mean a few things, I’m going to speculate that he wasn’t too happy considering he may soon be able to step into a starting role in the NHL. It wasn’t expected that Askarov would spend all of next season in the NHL, but he is almost or arguably is ready for a full-time role as a backup in 2024-25.
Saros is an elite goalie and is only 29 years old. His contract extends for nine more years and Askarov will not have an opportunity to be a starter in Nashville if Saros is in front of him and playing how he has in his career. The Saros signing made an Askarov move inevitable, but within hours was very quick.
The timing might line up perfectly as the Predators may be able to move into the top 5 of the draft and select a very good young player (possibly a centerman). Alternatively, a high pick received from a team acquiring Askarov could go towards acquiring a major player in a trade. This is less likely though as there aren’t very many players worthy of a top 5 pick and the free agent market is solid this year.
Askarov may not be a Nashville Predator much longer and the team will have some work to do to fill their backup role and third-string goalie spot in the organization.
