Yaroslav Askarov to Ottawa for seventh pick: who says no?

Yaroslav Askarov is an excellent prospect in front of the Predators’ net, and I can’t understand why Barry Trotz would consider trading him.

I understand that the club has Juuse Saros in front of the net, but a young goalie like Askarov, who breaks everything in his path wherever he goes, you don’t trade that.

He’s probably the next Andrei Vasilevskiy in my eyes… and the Preds, despite a surprising 2023-2024 season, are still looking to the medium-term future.

But hey, the Preds’ plan seems to be to see if a club is willing to pay the price for the prospect. If that’s the case and Saros wants to stay long-term, the veteran could/should stay.

Case in point? Last year, the Preds wanted to draft David Reinbacher with the #5 pick… and to convince the Habs to give them the choice, the club offered Askarov to Hughes.

The Habs, as you can see, said no. The club loved Reinbacher… and so did the now defunct Coyotes.

All this to say that if Trotz was ready to trade Askarov this year, it’s safe to assume that the possibility is on the table again this year. And Mathias Brunet, who loves creating trade scenarios, has thought of something.

Speaking to Martin Lemay, he wondered if the Senators, who are ready to store their #7 pick, could get their hands on the goalie in return for their first choice.

As the journalist wrote yesterday, it’s not always a good idea to trade your top pick. The Sens of two years ago know a thing or two about that. #AlexDeBrincat

But the fact remains that if the Ottawa Senators want to trade their pick, they need to do it for a guy who couldn’t leave the organization in the short term.

DeBrincat was two years away from complete autonomy, and after one year, he forced the Sens’ hand.

The club is certainly looking for a goaltender, and in Askarov, the Sens could have a goaltender who would be among the league’s best in the short term and fit their needs.

It would make sense for the Ontario club. And you’d think Nashville would be tempted by the opportunity if the GM has a prospect (defenseman?) in his sights after Utah talks at No. 6 in two weeks’ time.