*Post-publishing note: After this article was published, the Predators released a statement that they expect Askarov to report to training camp and compete for the starting job.
As reported by Kevin Weekes, superstar goaltending prospect Yaroslav Askarov has requested a trade from the Nashville Predators organization and will not report to the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals.
Askarov, 22, was selected by the Predators 11th overall in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft and has played 92 AHL regular season games for the Admirals, posting a 56-29-6 record, a .911 save percentage (SV%), and a 2.50 goals against average (GAA).
No Path To Starter Role for Askarov
Despite being one of the top goaltending prospects in the world, there isn’t much of a path available for Askarov to become the starter for the Predators any time soon. Their current starting goaltender, Juuse Saros, signed an eight-year extension that will kick in next offseason, and with him being one of the top goaltenders in the league, it doesn’t look like the Predators will have a spot for Askarov over the next nine seasons.
Related: Report: Predators’ Juuse Saros to Sign 8-Year Extension on Monday
In his two games in the NHL last season, Askarov faced 35 shots and allowed two goals for a .943 SV%, which is outstanding, but just a small sample size.
Not reporting to an AHL team isn’t something that happens very often, but there have been plenty of examples of prospects refusing to report, or even sign with the team that drafted them, most recently being Cutter Gauthier and Rutger McGroarty.
There were talks that Askarov could be moved prior to this trade request. There were some talks that the Predators tried using him as a trade chip to move into the top five of the 2023 and 2024 drafts, but neither of those reports were confirmed, nor did they come to fruition.
Goaltenders often hit full stride around 24 or 25 years old, but with a prospect as high-end as Askarov, it isn’t far-fetched to think that he could be an impactful goaltender in the NHL as soon as this season. He has great AHL numbers, and he spent time playing in the KHL in Russia prior to being drafted, and looked phenomenal there as well, which is what led to him being drafted higher than any goaltender since Jack Campbell in 2010.
The Predators are in a win-now mode with their free-agent acquisitions, and they know that Saros, who is already in the prime of his career, will be the go-to guy moving forward. Having a top-five goaltender in the league with one of the best prospects is a luxury, and general manager Barry Trotz is in a position to take advantage of that situation.
