Yaroslav Askarov: “Logan Mailloux could very well be an option”

Yaroslav Askarov’s name has been in the trade rumour mill for a few summers now. This summer, however, things are looking a little more serious, as the Preds have given Juuse Saros an eight-year contract.

And with young Askarov, one of the league’s brightest prospects in front of the net, looking to play in the NHL this season, trading him would make sense in Nashville.

The question now is whether the club will be able to get his price. We suspect the Predators have no intention of giving Askarov away either: they know what they have on their hands, and they’re going to want to get their price.

Word on the street right now is that the Preds are interested in getting a young, high-ceiling prospect in return for their goaltender. And in a piece for The Hockey News Nashville, the Habs are mentioned as a logical team, not least because of one name in particular:

Logan Mailloux could very well be an option. – Rob Couch

In his paper, Couch notes that he suspects the Habs won’t be trading Kaiden Guhle, Lane Hutson and David Reinbacher. That said, we can sense that Mailloux is not seen in this group.

Obviously, that doesn’t mean the Habs will assuredly trade Mailloux to get Askarov. In fact, perhaps the club feels comfortable trusting its current group of goalies in the hopes that Samuel Montembeault, Cayden Primeau and/or Jacob Fowler can secure the club’s future in front of the net.

More importantly, trusting this group rather than going after Askarov would also mean keeping a prospect like Mailloux, who is a possible piece of the club’s future on the blue line.

Let’s also remember that, at the 2023 draft, the Habs turned down an offer that involved Askarov (in a package) for the fifth overall pick of the auction, preferring to select David Reinbacher. So we don’t know how much the club likes the goalie.

That said, for the time being, the Habs have no long-term commitment to their goaltenders. If they believe Askarov can be one of the league’s best goalies in the medium to long term, going after him now isn’t a bad idea.

But since you have to give in order to receive, that would mean the club would have to part with a quality prospect. And even though the author mentions the names Owen Beck and Michael Hage, it’s safe to assume that Mailloux would be the Preds’ target in such a transaction.