Yaroslav Askarov: Canadiens were among the five finalists

In recent weeks, the Nashville Predators traded Yaroslav Askarov to the San Jose Sharks. This followed the player’s request to leave the Nashville organization.

Why was this? Because he’s tired of the AHL.

So, as you know, he’ll have a more “direct” path to the NHL at this point. After all, the Sharks have plenty of playing time for him down the road.

But obviously, teams other than the Sharks were in the mix.

We knew that the Montreal Canadiens, who still have a few questions to ask themselves about the long-term future in front of the net, were in the mix and chatted to the Preds.

But to what extent?

According to Pierre LeBrun’s recent article on The Athletic, the Habs were among the five finalists, along with the Sharks, of course, but also the Flyers, Avalanche and Hurricanes. I invite you to read the text to see how the Preds handled the matter.

The Sharks are really stepping up their celly game with the additions of Jake Walman and Yaroslav Askarov this summer pic.twitter.com/R469awJCCN

– Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) August 23, 2024

Because the Habs have Samuel Montembeault and Cayden Primeau upstairs, picking up Askarov would have meant another ménage à trois or transaction, obviously.

But at the same time, since the Habs don’t have a goalie with Askarov’s potential on their roster right now, it’s easy to see why Kent Hughes stuck his nose in.

And as you can see, there were some good teams in the mix too. Carolina and Colorado are places where we aspire to win the Stanley Cup in 2025.

I know the Habs have a number of up-and-coming youngsters (Jacob Fowler and Jakub Dobes, to name but a few), but adding talent like that in front of the net wouldn’t hurt.

After all, if the other guys become what they’re meant to be (in a few years’ time, because a goalie’s development isn’t linear), it would have made for a nice problem in the GM’s hands.

But we can assume that the Habs didn’t have the desire to go as far as the Sharks. We’ll see if it was the right thing to do in a few years… and we’ll see if Samuel Montembeault takes it the right way.

Overtime

– He was strong.

Lane Hutson’s mesmerizing skill was on full display against the Maple Leafs on Sunday.

And when you couple it with the competitiveness he showed over the weekend, he’s making a real case for a spot on the Canadiens’ NHL roster.(@EricEngels) https://t.co/ZC5ZJpERjQ

– Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) September 15, 2024