Nashville Predators general manager Barry Trotz has had a busy offseason. He was active in free agency and was able to land star forwards Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, as well as defender Brady Skjei. Now, before training camp and the preseason, he has a trade to figure out involving one of his goalies.
Related: Report: Askarov Requests Trade From Predators
Kevin Weekes reported that 22-year-old netminder prospect Yaroslav Askarov has requested a trade from the Predators. He will not report to the American Hockey League (AHL) to play for the Milwaukee Admirals. Since this report came out, Trotz was asked about the situation regarding the 2020 draft choice. The expectation is that Askarov will report to training camp and compete for a goalie spot.
Askarov was selected by Nashville with the 11th-overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. He spent time over in the Kontinental Hockey League, MHL, and VHL (two lower Russian leagues) before coming overseas and working toward getting a role with the Predators. In the KHL, Askarov played for SKA Saint Petersburg. He finished his time in the league with a record of 8-5-2 in 16 games played.
Predators’ Crowded Goalie Room
The biggest move the Predators made with their goaltending this offseason was locking up starter Juuse Saros to an eight-year contract extension. Saros is one of Nashville’s most important players, and one of the best at his position in the entire league. Re-signing him was a no-brainer and everyone knew the deal going to get done. Where things got interesting was when Trotz signed goalie free agent Scott Wedgewood to a two-year contract on July 1. The 32-year-old had previously suited up for the New Jersey Devils, Arizona Coyotes, and Dallas Stars. Add in 26-year-old goalie Matt Murray (not to be confused with 30-year-old goalie Matt Murray who was with the Pittsburgh Penguins) and there is significant competition for the backup role behind Saros.
Kevin Lankinen held the backup goalie role last season, where he posted a record of 11-6-0 with a 2.82 goals against average (GAA) and a .908 save percentage (SV%).
Askarov, meanwhile, played in two games for the Predators last season, starting in one of them. He originally made his NHL debut for Nashville in 2022-23, playing in one game. He currently has a record of 1-1 with a GAA of 2.58 and a SV% of .914. He has spent parts of two campaigns with the Admirals in the AHL. He posted the following numbers for them:
- 2022-23: 26-16-5, .911 SV%, 2.69 GAA, and three shutouts in 48 games played
- 2023-24: 30-13-1, .911 SV%, 2.39 GAA, and six shutouts in 44 games played
Askarov also played for the Admirals in both the 2023 and 2024 playoff runs. During the 2023 postseason, he put up a 6-6 record. He finished with a SV% of .903 and a GAA of 2.70. The 2024 playoff run saw Askarov produce a record of 2-3. During that run, he had a .882 SV% and a 3.25 GAA.
Who Claims Saros’ Backup Role?
I think it will come down to Askarov and Wedgewood for the backup role behind Saros for the 2024-25 season. Things could change if Trotz does find a trade partner and fulfills the reported request by Askarov to go elsewhere. If he remains a Predator when training camp begins, it will come down to how Askarov and Wedgewood do in both training camp and preseason. Having roster competition brings out the best in everyone involved. This will be the case for the Nashville backup job.
If Askarov can win the backup role, all may end up fine between both sides. If Wedgewood wins the backup role, I suspect news will come out around that same time that Askarov is being traded to another organization. Of course, it is mid-August right now. There is plenty of time for more action to happen. Trotz has been involved with plenty of action already, as was evident with his moves in free agency. This situation will get handled one way or another.
