The Montreal Canadiens may have been interested in now-San Jose Sharks goalie Yaroslav Askarov, according to reports. However, the degree to which they were is an unknown… kind of like Askarov himself, to the point losing out on the top goalie prospect isn’t the end of the world.
Askarov an Undeniable Top Goaltending Prospect
Just so there’s no room to misunderstand: Askarov is a well-known talent in net. To leave him off any list of the top NHL goalie prospects would be an unforgivable sin. However, goaltenders have notoriously unpredictable development curves. Canadiens great Carey Price, who was the fifth-overall pick in 2007, is one of the exceptions and not the rule when it comes to highly-drafted goalie prospects who pan out.
For the record, no goalie has been picked higher than Askarov, who went 11th overall in 2020, since. So, he was highly regarded then and little has changed over the last four years, as evidenced by the price the Sharks paid to acquire him. The Nashville Predators get forward prospect David Edstrom (who was drafted 32nd overall in 2023), goalie Magnus Chrona (who was drafted at No. 152 in 2018) and a conditional 2025 first-round pick (for ECHL forward Nolan Burke and a third-round pick in 2025).
However, it’s hard to assess how Askarov’s game will translate to the NHL (having gone 1-1 in three NHL appearances so far with a 2.57 goals-against average and .914 save percentage). So, in some respects, the Canadiens should be perfectly satisfied with their organizational goaltending depth right now, headlined by prospect Jacob Fowler, who may have been picked all the way in the third round in 2023 (No. 69), but ranks just below Askarov according to at least one NHL prospects expert (from ‘Top 20 drafted NHL goalie prospects ranking,’ The Athletic, July 17, 2024).
Hughes’ Smooth Offseason Moves
Of course, Askarov is further along in his development. Even if the above-mentioned ranking is gospel and Fowler is just slightly worse than him, you can’t (shouldn’t) blame general manager Kent Hughes for having enquired, especially following the acquisition of forward Patrik Laine, which arguably moves up the team’s timeline to compete for a playoff spot considerably.
The Laine acquisition is especially pertinent here, not because the two are interconnected somehow or because both players had made trade requests. Just like with Laine, when a player of that (theoretical) calibre becomes available, it’s Hughes’ responsibility to at the very least make a call to find out what it would cost and determine if it would be worth it.
One can only speculate as to what that cost was/would have been. Presumably, it would have been similar to what the Sharks paid, i.e., two first-round picks… which seems like a lot for a player who isn’t a sure thing (as few prospects are, to be fair), especially when the Canadiens have Fowler. Hell, maybe it involved Fowler himself, which, through a certain lens, might have made sense. However, it arguably would have defeated the purpose of playing the goalie lottery as the Canadiens have, by purchasing as many tickets as possible, in the hopes that at least one turns into a legitimate starter.
So, in that hypothetical scenario, it would have effectively made for a quasi-lateral move. And, at that point, you’re really just making a trade for the sake of keeping up appearances, and that doesn’t seem to be Hughes’ style. Not only does he generally make trades solely to improve the Canadiens, but, upon having just acquired Laine (and drafted Ivan Demidov), Habs fans are at little risk of calling for his head on a pike for lack of any traction having been gained in that respect.
Related: Ranking Canadiens GM Hughes’ Best Trades Ahead of 2023 Deadline
It could very well be that, five years from now, Canadiens fans look back on reports of the team’s interest in Askarov and fantasize about what could have been, should he become a star (and Fowler doesn’t). However, based on whatever little information has been leaked, it’s impossible to quantify a) how close they were to getting Askarov instead of the Sharks and b) how interested they were to start.
Canadiens Should Bet on Fowler
As argued earlier, Hughes had to at least ask. For that reason, Canadiens fans shouldn’t take the enquiry, however serious it was, as vote of no confidence in the team’s goaltending as it stands now. Granted, it would be a shock if projected-starter Samuel Montembeault developed into anything other than an average NHL goalie at Age 28. Cayden Primeau remains a question mark at Age 25.
However, many had written off them both at various points over the last few seasons only for them to break through and prove themselves at the NHL level (to varying degrees). Hell, Hughes himself extended ex-starter Jake Allen to what ended up being one of the worst contracts on the team heading into last season, because he didn’t anticipate Montembeault usurping him like he did.
Ironically, Hughes traded Allen to the Devils at the last trade deadline with one year left on his deal. Not only did the Devils then turn around and further solidify their goaltending by trading for legitimate-No. 1 Jacob Markstrom, but, based on reports, they were in on Askarov too… further proving you can never have too many goalies. Sometimes though, it’s simply best to bet on the Devil you know.
