Yaroslav Askarov has requested a trade and has told the Nashville Predators that he won’t report to the Milwaukee Admirals, their AHL affiliate and the Seattle Kraken should be interested in acquiring him.
Kevin Weekes was the first to report the news about Askarov and Predators GM Barry Trotz was quick to address it.
“We are aware of the report today, and our expectation is for the player to report to training camp and compete for a job in September.”
The 22-year-old netminder was drafted 11th overall by the Predators in the 2020 NHL draft and the selection was surprising at the time as the Predators had Juuse Saros as their number-one goaltender who was already one of the league’s best before he entered his prime. Unsurprisingly, the selection hasn’t paid off and Askarov has become increasingly upset with the Predators to re-sign Saros to an eight-year extension and hand a Scott Wedgewood a two-year deal.
Askarov’s frustration with the situation is understandable as he has proven himself at every level. He was among the AHL’s best goaltenders last year posting a .911SV% and a 2.39GAA in 44 games.
The Kraken have an abundance of forward prospects and quite a few defensemen in their prospect pool but lack star potential in goal. Outside of Niklas Kokko, most of the Kraken goaltending prospects have slim chances of becoming NHL regulars. If the Kraken were to attempt to trade for Askarov, he would immediately become their best goaltending prospect.
Askarov could also help the Kraken at the NHL level straight away. The Kraken have many questions when it comes to their play in the crease as Philipp Grubauer hasn’t lived up to his contract throughout his entire Kraken career and Joey Daccord, besides a stellar 2023-24 season, is very unproven.
As of now, the Kraken aren’t one of the teams that have been initially named as interested in acquiring Askarov but due to the recency of the report, the Kraken could eventually enter the sweepstakes.
The price would be steep but finding a franchise goaltender at a young age is one of the most difficult assets to find in the NHL.
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