The Canadiens And The Yaroslav Askarov Trade Situation

The Montreal Canadiens are always looking to improve their available talent at various positions. From the very get-go, general manager Kent Hughes identified several weaknesses throughout the organization, including the lack of depth among right-handed defencemen, too few talented centres, and a desperate need to add more offensive firepower to the lineup.

But with young players now such as David Reinbacher, Kirby Dach, and Ivan Demidov joining the rebuild, the needs are no longer considered pressing. This means management can pivot to secure additional pieces to act as an insurance policy as the team attempts to dig their way out of the basement of the NHL standings.

This brings us to the latest drama in the NHL, as Nashville Predators goaltendeing prospect Yaroslav Askarov has requested according to Kevin Weekes.

**Breaking News** 🚨 📰
I’m told that Top Goalie Prospect Askarov has informed the @PredsNHL that he will not report to their @TheAHL team, and has requested a trade. #HockeyX #Preds pic.twitter.com/EQFGs7FUJK

— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) August 19, 2024

Askarov, 22, was drafted by the Predators 11th overall in 2020, a rather bold decision for a couple of reasons. First off, drafting a goaltender in the first round rarely brings good value to a team in the long term, as it robs them of an opportunity to select a high-end defenceman or forward, two positions that are much more difficult to fill with quality players than goaltending. But the real issue for Nashville was that they already had their long-term goaltender in place when they picked Askarov so early. To make matters worse, the Predators recently handed Juuse Saaros an eight-year contract extension, effectively removing any possibility Askarov can ascend to the NHL with the organization that drafted him.

However, the clues that Askarov’s future in Nashville was coming to an end were already available as the Predators attempted to trade him to various teams at the last two NHL Entry Drafts.

The Canadiens were one of the teams that were approached by the Predators, though moving down from the top 5 at drafts to acquire a goaltender is the epitome of a bad decision, as evidenced by Hughes’ decision to draft top end players rather than acquiring a goalie who owns a certain amount of potential.

And that’s the crux of the issue.

While the Predators have touted Askarov as a player with legitimate NHL starter potential, their decision to stick with 29-year-old Saros runs contrary to their sales pitch. The same can be said about running Kevin Lankinen as their backup last season, or entering the 2024-25 campaign with Scott Wedgewood as their backup, a goaltender they signed to a two-year deal just a month ago.

The Montreal Canadiens Goaltending Situation

We also have to be honest about Askarov’s play in the AHL. Yes, he’s exciting. He makes the types of saves that end up on highlight reels due to his  style of play, which is powered by reckless abandon, but that’s not necessarily what you look for in a goaltender, especially once that will eventually ascend as a starter in the NHL. We should also note that Askarov has stated he will refuse to report to the AHL, which indicates that not only would an NHL team have to take a chance on a goalie who finished both his years with the Milwaukee Admirals sporting a .911 save percentage, they would have to immediately promote him to the NHL.

A .911 save percentage in the AHL is a decent result, even if his play in the Calder Cup playoffs was well below the standard he set during the regular season. But it’s not the type of statistic that should excite an organization like the Habs. Jakub Dobes, a rookie playing behind a blue line with very little experience, managed to produce a .906 save percentage with the Laval Rocket last season. Kasimir Kaskisuo, who was brought in midway through the season, essentially matched Askarov by sporting a .909 save percentage once the season was over.

Kaskisuo could have returned to the fold, but the Montreal Canadiens opted to go another route, by signing veteran Connor Hughes to back-up Dobes. That’s additional evidence to support the theory that there are simply too many goaltenders available in the hockey landscape, mitigating their value on the trade market significantly. While every team has five or six goaltending prospects, not to mention a handful of goalies in the AHL and NHL, there are a finite number of actual jobs available.

The demand is low, and the supply is quite high.

ON TOPIC: Top Montreal Canadiens Prospect Jacob Fowler Is The Next Great Goaltending Hope

For the time being, Samuel Montembeault and Cayden Primeau are well positioned to carry the goaltending load for the Habs, giving top prospect Jacob Fowler enough time to ply his trade in the NCAA before making his NHL debut. At no point in the process could you identify goaltending as a weakness, connoting that the Askarov trade route is unlike to run through Montreal, where goalies with potential are bountiful.