Georges Laraque insists the Habs must get Askarov in Nashville

In Nashville, every fan is wondering whether Yaroslav Askarov will still be with the organization when the season opens.

The goalie has asked for a trade, and understandably so: he wants to play regularly in the NHL because he’s proven himself in the AHL, and the Predators haven’t given him that opportunity.

Juuse Saros is taking up all the space out there.

To maximize his assets, Barry Trotz could decide to trade him as Askarov wishes. At this level, the idea of seeing him end up in Montreal has been discussed many times in the past, because the goaltender’s talent is undeniable.

Georges Laraque is probably the president of Askarov’s fan club, and yesterday on BPM Sports he reiterated: the Habs must go and get him from Nashville.

In Laraque’s eyes, an Askarov – Montembeault duo would create flames around town, and Kent Hughes has what it takes to make a move because the Habs GM is counting on several quality draft picks:

With the defensemen you have, you add Askarov… And your defense is set for the next ten years. – Georges Laraque

When Askarov is mentioned in Montreal, the same comment often comes up.

“Wow, but the Habs already have Jacob Fowler…”

The thing is, Fowler won’t be ready when the Habs want to start winning. Kent Hughes expects to have a big summer in 2025, and that’s probably when we’ll be able to say the rebuild is over.

That said, Fowler won’t be playing in the NHL next year, and we don’t even know if he’ll make the jump to the pros at the end of next season. If he decides to stay in the NCAA, that adds another year to his development, because he’ll still have to go through the AHL (like all goalies) before he can play in the NHL.

The Habs can’t afford to wait another three years for Fowler if they want to see results quickly. And that’s where the addition of Askarov makes sense, because the Predators goalie is ready now, not three years from now.

That’s the difference.

And, worst case scenario… If Fowler is ready at some point and Askarov has already established himself as the #1 in Montreal, the Habs will still have the option of trading one of the two goalies to get a return similar to the price Kent Hughes paid to get Askarov out of Nashville.

In the end, nothing is lost. And that’s why the idea of trading for Yaroslav Askarov makes more than a little sense to me.

Overtime

– It’s done.

Ryan Johansen cleared waivers today. Flyers can now terminate his contract, but we will see how this continues over the next few weeks.

He has 60 days from date of termination to appeal

– Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) August 21, 2024

– Nice line-up!

John Tortorella and David Quinn bring more than 60 years of experience to Team USA’s coaching staff for the #4Nations Face-Off in 2025.
Details: https://t.co/06WbLKeZKl pic.twitter.com/ZoG8FLRK8q

– USA Hockey (@usahockey) August 21, 2024