Five teams emerge as contenders for promising goaltender Yaroslav Askarov

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Daniel Lucente
August 16, 2024 (4:34 PM)

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Yaroslav Askarov has been involved in trade rumors all summer, and things are really heating up now with five front-runner teams in the mix.

If Yaroslav Askarov wants to make a name for himself in the NHL and play a lot of games, it's going to have to be outside of Nashville, as the team has locked up Juuse Saros to an eight-year deal as well as veteran NHL backup Scott Wedgewood on a two-year deal.

The 22-year-old Askarov had a fantastic AHL season for the second year in a row, however, only got called up and played in two games for the Predators. Insider Elliotte Friedman has stated that Yaroslav Askarov has made it clear that he is refusing to play another full year in the AHL and wants to be in the big leagues going forward. GM Barry Trotz of the Preds will need to act quickly and trade him.

The Los Angeles Kings would benefit from Yaroslav Askarov's services as Darcy Kuemper is getting older and likely won't be able to handle all the responsibility.

The Carolina Hurricanes don't appear confident in giving Pyotr Kochetkov the number one title yet and Frederik Anderson's contract ends after next season.

The Montreal Canadiens are not ready for the playoffs yet and could use a young goalie like Yaroslav Askarov in the future.

Linus Ullmark was traded to the Ottawa Senators this summer, however, both he and their backup Anton Forsberg will become unrestricted free agents (UFA) next summer.

Finally, the brand new Utah Hockey Club team cannot win many games with Karel Vejmelka long-term, who is also a free agent after next season.

Either way, the Predators have a lot of options to work with, and it's only a matter of time before something gets done.

Source: Hockey Buzz
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