During a rebuild, the goaltender position often gets overlooked in favor of more “visible” positions on the ice as forwards and defensemen alike take priority in free agency and trades. It certainly doesn’t help that a good netminder is like a good left tackle in the NFL – they’re too valuable to let go, thus completely drying up the market.
That’s why it’s so notable when a goalie does become available, and that’s what happened with the biggest news bomb of the week on Monday morning. NHL analyst Kevin Weekes reported that goaltending prospect Yaroslav Askarov will not report to Nashville’s AHL affiliate and has requested a trade.
Askarov has been considered the best goalie prospect in the game for several years after being drafted 11th overall in 2020. He’s dominated every level of the game since he was 16 years old and put together three near-perfect campaigns in various Russian leagues, mostly the KHL. Askarov has fought to a save percentage of .911 in each of his two AHL seasons thus far and saved more than 94 percent of the shots he saw in two NHL games last season. With incredible reaction speed and an extremely steady net presence, it seems he knows where shots are before the shooters do.
This new development shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. Nashville signed All-Star Juuse Saros this summer to an eight-year extension, thus essentially locking down the No. 1 goaltender spot there for nearly a decade. It’s a slap in the face to Askarov and eliminates any chance of him being a starter, which is especially intriguing given the 22-year-old’s prestige in the game already.
Could the Blackhawks go after Askarov? There’s no question he’s one of the most sought-after assets in all of hockey (in an “NHL redraft” exercise, he’d be near the top of my list). He’s only 22, but certainly has the potential and faces the expectation to be the eventual best goalie in hockey. Askarov is an RFA after the upcoming season, so a team that acquired him would have a year of control before re-signing him. It’s hard to describe him as a “proven” talent given his lack of experience at the top level, but he’s shown he’s an immensely skilled goaltender who has a bright future in the big show.
However, it could be argued that Chicago is already set at the position. Excitement is building for the NHL tandem of Petr Mrazek and new acquisition Laurent Brossoit, who are each under contract for the next two years. After that, Drew Commesso and Adam Gajan highlight the next generation of Blackhawks netminders, with big expectations to eventually become stars in Chicago.
The other problem for the Blackhawks – even if they reach out to Nashville regarding a trade, they’ll have to pay a pretty penny. They likely won’t be able to throw in a goaltending prospect like Commesso because the Predators already have plenty signed. With more than $3 million in cap space, Nashville doesn’t have much use for the Blackhawks taking on a cap dump from them, either. The teams are also rivals, and the Predators won’t want to eventually see Askarov a handful of times every year.
However, if Chicago was to get its hands on a truly elite prospect like Askarov, the time is now. Nashville lost a bit of its leverage now that they may have to honor his request, potentially allowing the Blackhawks to take advantage. Additionally, much of the talk around Chicago’s pipeline this year is that it’s time for them to turn their prospects into higher-caliber ones – Davidson has found almost too many great prospects and could turn them into true blue-chip players. Now would be a perfect chance to do so, and the Blackhawks could offer the Predators a handful of decent prospects to get their hands on a player who could potentially be the best goaltender in the league for years to come. No matter the cost or convenience of acquiring Askarov, Chicago needs to do anything possible to make it happen.
