Should Devils Pursue a Trade for Predators' Askarov?
Yaroslav Askarov has reportedly requested a trade out of Nashville, but should the New Jersey Devils pursue him?
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The New Jersey Devils' short-term goaltending situation is set with Jacob Markström and Jake Allen, but what about the long-term? Markström and Allen are 34, and only Markström is under contract beyond this coming season.
Even then, Markström will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2026. He'll be 36 two years from now, so what's the Devils' plan for after that? They have plenty of goaltending prospects in their system, but none have the upside of Yaroslav Askarov.
With Kevin Weekes' report yesterday that Askarov has requested a trade out of Nashville, should the Devils make a play for the 22-year-old netminder, who's considered one of the best goaltending prospects in the world, if not the best?
Devils Have Plenty of Goaltending Prospects
General manager Tom Fitzgerald is obviously thinking of near-term success when acquiring Allen and Markström over the last five months. This Devils team is good enough to win now with competent goaltending, but neither goalie is likely to be a long-term solution, given their ages.
Fitzgerald seems to know that, too. After trading John Marino to Utah HC on Day 2 of the NHL Draft, he used one of the second-round picks acquired in that trade to draft Mikhail Yegorov, who many public scouting services had as the top goaltending prospect in the 2024 draft.
Yegorov will spend another year in the USHL before jumping to Boston University to play for Jay Pandolfo in 2025-26, so it'll be a while before even considering him for the Devils. But he's far from the only goaltending prospect in their system, even after trading Akira Schmid.
Nico Daws recently re-signed for two years, and though he's likely to spend most of 2024-25 in the AHL with the Utica Comets, there's a path to him becoming Markström's backup in 2025-26 if he performs well with the Comets.
I don't know what Daws' upside is. It's probably not that of a high-end 1A who can play 50-plus games, but he could be a good 1B. And the Devils seem to think the same since they chose to keep him over Schmid this offseason.
Another Devils prospect who's fared well since getting drafted in 2021 is Jakub Málek. He's spent the last two seasons with Ilves in the Finnish Liiga and has seen his stock improve after posting a .915 save percentage in 27 games this past season.
The Liiga is a low-scoring defensive league, so I'm not sure how much stock I'd put into a .915 SV%, but Málek is a solid prospect. The Devils wouldn't have signed him to his entry-level contract if they didn't think so.
There's also Tyler Brennan, who the Devils selected in 2022. But his first couple of pro seasons have been marred by injuries. I'm not sure he's an NHL-caliber netminder, but he's in the system and could emerge at any time; goalies are voodoo, after all.
Lastly, there's Isaac Poulter, an undrafted prospect who earned an ELC with the Devils last season after performing well for the Comets, posting a .911 SV% in 28 games. Who knows what he can be, but he looks like another emerging goaltending prospect in the organization's system.
Askarov More Likely to Be Long-Term Solution Than Devils Prospects
The Devils have a few quality netminding prospects in their system. There's no question about that, but none have the upside of Askarov. And that's what makes him so intriguing.
The Devils had a chance to draft Askarov seventh overall in the 2020 draft, but they opted for Alexander Holtz instead. Obviously, Holtz didn't work out, but hindsight is 20/20. I'm not sure many people would've been thrilled taking Askarov seventh overall at the time.
His development path has been interesting since he was drafted during the height of COVID and didn't get much playing time in the KHL in his draft+1 and draft+2 years.
However, Askarov's numbers in the AHL have been quite good over the previous two seasons. He posted a .911 SV% in 2022-23 in 48 games and repeated that SV% last season, this time in 44 appearances. His playoff numbers weren't great, but that only came in a sample of 17 games. I wouldn't read too much into that for now.
The important thing to remember about Askarov is that he's 22 and that he only turned 22 in June. Posting .911 save percentages in back-to-back seasons as a 20- and 21-year-old is pretty impressive, and it's not like the AHL is a league of scrubs. There's legitimate high-end starter potential in him, and that's where the appeal comes from.
It's hard to say what Askarov will cost in a trade. He only has two NHL appearances, so you're betting on upside in acquiring him. The Predators were reportedly looking for a top-five pick for him at the draft, and while that's not possible now, I'm sure the price is still high.
If the Devils were to acquire him now, it could take a first (maybe with top-five or 10 protection) and a prospect like Seamus Casey. Given the abundance of goaltending prospects in the Devils' system, one likely goes to Nashville, too. Would the Devils be willing to pay a price that high for an unproven goalie, even though his upside is tremendous? I'm not sure.
There's also finding playing time for Askarov. The reason he reportedly wants out of Nashville is because he wants to be in the NHL next season, but that's not happening with the Devils. They're not moving Allen, and even if they wanted to (I'm sure they don't), he could flex his no-trade clause, which is three teams (per PuckPedia).
That limits Askarov's path to the NHL next season with the Devils. However, let's not act like there isn't a path to the NHL with them sooner than later. He may be blocked for this coming season, but he could easily play alongside Markström in 2025-26.
It's a different situation than the Predators, who recently signed Juuse Saros to an eight-year extension. That doesn't kick in until the 2025-26 season, so assuming Saros' play holds up, he could be a Predator for close to the next decade.
Askarov could have to wait a long time to become the starter in Nashville, which is not the case in New Jersey. Fitzgerald and the Devils could probably make a good pitch to Askarov and how he could be their long-term solution since Markström and Allen are in their mid-30s. And I have to imagine it'd appeal to him.
Askarov Is Worth Pursuing
While the Devils have a few quality netminders in their system, none come close to Askarov's upside. Markström and Allen will help this team in the short term, but there's the 3-5-year plan that needs a solution, too. And that could be Askarov.
He could be the difference between the Devils sustaining short- and long-term success, so if there's a deal to be had, they should give acquiring Askarov serious consideration.
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Never thought I'd say this five years ago but the Devils now have an abundance of quality young defensemen. Fitz needs to focus short-term no doubt but has to keep an eye on sustaining long-term success and what better way to have Askarov learn under the tutelage of Markstrom next year as the 1B and become the heir apparent. Perhaps Fitz can cash in on that solid he did with Trotz and David Poile at the end of the draft two years ago.
I see two issues with this.
1. The Preds want to win now. Any trade for Askarov will likely involve roster players (plural) instead of prospects. Maybe one prospect but I think it will take at least one roster player. Yet another reason to hate VGK coercing Fitz to trade Holtz.
2. Even if they do get him, Askarov wants to compete for a starting position now. I don’t see that with the tandem we have at this point in time. Will he want to wait a year? I don’t know, but it doesn’t sound like it.