Blues Should Explore Askarov Trade – The Hockey Writers – Predators Goaltending

With less than 24 hours to go before the deadline, right now, St. Louis Blues fans are looking under every rock and reading every tea leaf to see whether the Edmonton Oilers will match the Blues’ offer sheets on one or both of Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg. If the Oilers pass on either player, it will add a significant young piece to the team’s core. But general manager Doug Armstrong’s work won’t be done at tomorrow morning’s deadline. He should still be looking to improve the team and grow the franchise for the future in any way he can. And given reports that Yaroslav Askarov has officially asked for a trade from the Nashville Predators, Armstrong ought to at least explore the unlikely possibility of landing his services.

Askarov Wants Out

For those unfamiliar with his game, Askarov, 22, is a former 11th-overall pick and, according to many, the top NHL goaltending prospect right now. Last season, he had a .911 save percentage (SV%) and 2.39 goals-against average (GAA) in 44 games with the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Milwaukee Admirals. He is primed to arrive at the next level and prove that he is the goaltender of the future, following in the footsteps of the many great Russian goalies in the league right now.

But the Predators have a problem: they already have an elite goaltender in the NHL, Juuse Saros. Instead of trading him away and backing the younger horse, they seized the opportunity to extend his contract for eight years this summer. That leaves no clear to the starting net in the NHL for Askarov, who has already proven pretty much all he can at the AHL level. Rumors have circulated all summer that he wanted a change of scenery, but today, they hit a fever pitch with Kevin Weekes’ official report that he’d requested a trade. Undoubtedly, the price to get him will be high. It’s not often that you can acquire an NHL-ready goaltender who could be one of the best in the league in a season or two at age 22.

Rare Opportunity for Blues

It is precisely because the opportunity is so rare that the Blues need to pursue it. There’s no question they have an uphill battle: the Predators are division rivals, so they might not be interested in dealing their top prospect to a team they’ll see at least three times per season. But we’ve already seen one same-division trade just today. It can be done. If the Blues…