The Nashville Predators’ top goaltending prospect, Yaroslav Askarov, has reportedly requested a trade from the organization after a disgruntled summer. With the impending trade request, many NHL teams will be picking up the phone to inquire about his services and the Philadelphia Flyers should be one of them.
The Predators’ rising star almost had an easy run-way to the NHL with rumours circulating around Juuse Saros ahead of last year’s trade deadline. With just one year remaining on his contract beyond 2024-25, the writing was on the wall but then the Predators not only made a surprise playoff push last year but they extended Saros to an 8-year deal this summer when he was first eligible.
Still, there was a belief that Askarov would at the very least be Saros’ backup in 2024-25 but then the Predators went out and signed veteran backup goaltender Scott Wedgewood to a 2-year-deal; essentially blocking his path after all.
Throughout the summer, trade speculations became rampant but now it’s become official with Kevin Weekes bringing it to the forefront that Askarov has told the Predators he would not report to the AHL.
Askarov was drafted 11th overall by the Predators in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft after a fantastic season in the MHL with SKA-Varyagi St. Petersburg with a 15-12-4 record and a .921 SV% and a 2.37 GAA. He then moved to the VHL where he played in 18 games for SKA-Neva St. Petersburg with a 12-3-3 record, a .920 SV%, and a 2.45 GAA before COVID-19 interrupted the season. He made one appearance in the KHL for SKA St. Petersburg.
His 2020-21 season was split between all three leagues with 2 games in the MHL, 6 games in the VHL, and 9 games in the KHL. With SKA St. Petersburg he posted a spectacular 1.21 GAA and a .951 SV% while posting a 5-4-0 record. He also represented Russia at the World Junior Championship with a .914 SV% and a 2.50 GAA to go along with a 3-3-0 record.
The following year his season was cut short to just 15 games – 6 in the VHL and 9 in the KHL – but finished the year in North America with the Milwaukee Admirals after signing a try-out contract just ahead of the AHL playoffs.
He was given a lot more run in 2022-23 as he appeared in 48 contests with the Admirals where he posted a 26-16-5 record with a 2.69 GAA and a .911 SV%. He also made his NHL debut but allowed 4 goals on 35 shots in a loss. The following season he finished with a 30-13-1 record, a 2.39 GAA, and a .911 SV% with 6 shutouts and in 2 games with the Predators he stopped 33 of 35 shots to go along with a 1-0-0 record.
All signs pointed to him playing with the Predators in 2024-25 but with Askarov already feeling left out and disgruntled, signing Wedgewood was a strange decision. Not only was he brought in with a backup position open after Kevin Lankinen walked into free agency but he was then signed to a 2-year deal, almost effectively blocking his path until 2026-27.
The Omsk, Russia native is by far one of the more touted and skilled goaltending prospects in the league today and could cost an arm and a leg to acquire but it would assuredly be worth it. While the Flyers have Samuel Ersson and Ivan Fedotov ready to take the 2024-25 season by storm, there isn’t much of a contingency plan behind them – or ahead of them.
Ersson had troubles in the second half of the 2023-24 season after essentially being run into the ground. He appeared in 26 of the final 32 games after the All-Star break and in 32 out of the final 38 games after Carter Hart left the team. Ersson is still very young and capable but having Askarov in front of him could do both goaltender and the Flyers wonders.
Fedotov is a bag of mixed tricks and no one can really pinpoint what we’re going to see from the 6’8” behemoth. He was spectacular in Russia when playing for CSKA Moscow, Salavat Yulaev Ufa, and Traktor Chelyabinsk. His Russian circuit was split up between all three leagues and several teams but in every pit stop he showcased his skill until at least 2021-22 – before he was sent to the Arctic to serve in the Russian Navy.
With Alexei Kolosov seemingly disgruntled and wanting to return to the KHL on loan this year, the Flyers don’t have any able-bodied young goaltenders ready to make the leap with Carson Bjarnason and Yegor Zavragin several years away. With Askarov in the fold, that would not only change the outlook of their goaltending for the future but it would give them a legitimate starting goaltender for the present as well.
While he’s still unproven with just 2 years of North American hockey under his belt at the AHL level compared to Ersson having legitimate NHL experience, Askarov’s numbers are staggering and his skillset and potential are through the roof as evidenced by his draft stock and how he dominated the KHL as a teenager. Goaltenders are very rarely selected in the top-15, let alone the first round, and many had him pegged as a top-8 pick in his draft year.
Askarov has one more year until he is due for an extension but the 22-year-old will still be an RFA, meaning the Predators don’t have to do anything if they choose that route. Predators general manager Barry Trotz recently spoke to the media and said he expects to see Askarov at training camp this year and “compete for a job”. However, with him not willing to report to the Admirals, that casts a shadow of a doubt for this season and beyond and makes the situation extremely murky.
The Flyers are in a great position on the trade-front because they have 3 first and second-round picks in 2025 as well as first and second-rounders in 2026 and 2027. The Predators already have 2 picks in the first, second, and third rounds of next year’s draft but are always looking to add more picks to their cupboard with Trotz at the helm. Kolosov could also potentially be dangled as a trade chip if his saga continues and if the Predators want a young goaltender in return.
Askarov is the type of talent that you seriously crave and that you aspire to acquire either in the draft or on the trade block. It’s very rare for players like him to even be on the trade block at such a young age and under contractual control as an RFA for years to come. The Predators certainly don’t have too much leverage but with so many teams vying for his services, they will have a bidding war.
The Flyers’ goaltending situation is far from resolute but if Askarov were in the midst, they would have certainly found their replacement for Hart.
