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Kings Re-Sign Erik Portillo To Three-Year Deal

August 25, 2024 at 10:00 am CDT | by Brennan McClain 3 Comments

10:59 AM: PuckPedia reported the financial aspects of the three-year agreement between Portillo and the Kings organization. The team will pay their top goaltending prospect a salary of $775K in year one, with a minimum salary of $115K and a guaranteed salary of $175K for the two-way portion. He will once again earn $775K in year two as it transitions to a one-way pact before ultimately receiving $800K in the final year of the contract. Shortly thereafter, the signing was made official by a public announcement from the Kings.

10:00 AM: The Los Angeles Kings are expected to re-sign goaltending prospect Erik Portillo to a three-year deal today, as reported by John Hoven at Mayor’s Manor. Similar to other new contracts for restricted free-agent goaltenders this offseason, the first year of the deal is expected to be a two-way agreement before transitioning to a one-way deal in the second and third years of the contract.

After a dominant season with Frölunda HC J20 of the J20 SuperElit in Sweden, Portillo was drafted 67th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2019 NHL Draft. Portillo spent one year in the USHL with the Dubuque Fighting Saints before committing to the University of Michigan beginning in the 2020-21 NCAA season. The 2021-22 season was Portillo’s coming out party on the heels of high expectations for him and the Wolverines program.

He finished the season with a 31-10-1 record in 42 contests, a .926 save percentage, and a 2.14 goals-against average. By the end of the season, the Wolverines were the second-ranked team in the nation, headed into the Frozen Four tournament after sweeping the Big Ten tournament and Portillo being crowned the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. The team was one of the favorites heading into the postseason but was eliminated by the eventual champions, the Pioneers from the University of Denver, in the semifinals.

Instead of signing with the Sabres after his sophomore campaign, Portillo returned to Ann Arbor for his junior year. His numbers dipped slightly from the prior year, but Portillo still finished with 25 wins by the end of the season. By this time, Buffalo’s net was becoming more crowded with the signing of Devon Levi and the promotion of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. This led to Portillo announcing he would not sign with the Sabres and instead become a collegiate free agent when he could.

The Sabres appeased Portillo at the 2023 trade deadline by dealing his signing rights to Los Angeles in exchange for a third-round pick in 2023. A little over a month later, Portillo signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Kings organization, officially ending his tenure at the University of Michigan.

Last season became the first for Portillo in professional hockey as he spent the entire campaign with the Kings AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign. The young netminder elevated his status as a prospect with a 24-11-3 record in 39 games with a .918 SV% and 2.50 GAA. In the 2024 Calder Cup playoffs, Portillo backstopped the Reign to a Western Conference Division Finals finish for the first time in team history on the backs of a .916 SV% in eight games.

With Portillo’s contract becoming a one-way agreement after the 2024-25 NHL season, it is a commitment by Los Angeles that he can serve as the team’s backup once David Rittich’s one-year agreement runs its course. Portillo’s new contract will conclude simultaneously with the remaining years of Darcy Kuemper’s contract meaning the Kings could then keep Portillo around long-term if he proves successful at the NHL level.

Los Angeles Kings Erik Portillo

3 comments

Edmonton Oilers Directly Linked To Kevin Shattenkirk, Justin Schultz

August 23, 2024 at 5:44 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain 4 Comments

The Edmonton Oilers are still dealing with the ramifications on their blue line of denying to match a two-year, $9.16MM offer sheet given to defenseman Philip Broberg by the St. Louis Blues. Having already been linked to Tyson Barrie for a professional tryout agreement, Frank Seravalli of DailyFaceoff reports the team has additional interest in Kevin Shattenkirk and Justin Schultz.

The two main links between all three defensemen are their right-handedness and ability to move the puck. Given that Broberg is a left-handed shot with limited experience at the NHL level, it stands to reason this is a desire from the Oilers that predates the loss of Broberg and is not made in an attempt to replace him. Behind Evan Bouchard, the only internal options for Edmonton on the ride side of defense would be Josh Brown, Ty Emberson, or Troy Stecher. Given that none of the three can be relied upon to shoulder top four minutes, it makes sense that the Oilers continue to peruse the market.

Shattenkirk is recently coming off a one-year deal with the Boston Bruins in a season where he was limited to only 15:47 minutes of ice time on average. He still produced respectably, however, as he accrued a number of those minutes on the powerplay. In 61 games for Boston Shattenkirk put up six goals and 24 points which made for a better point-per-game average than two out of his three previous years with the Anaheim Ducks.

Schultz has been nearly identical to Shattenkirk over the last four years between the Washington Capitals and Seattle Kraken organization with 21 goals and 110 points in 263 games compared to Shattenkirk’s 20 goals and 101 points in 273 contests. Depending on what the Oilers are looking for exactly, Schultz has averaged a 6.2% shooting percentage throughout his career (with two years of 7% with the Kraken) compared to only 5.5% from Shattenkirk. If Schultz were to carry the same success rate from his shot totals on last year’s team in Edmonton, he would have finished second amongst defensemen.

The Oilers have a few different options to sort through and all three of the defensemen they have reportedly shown interest in could do a lot worse than sign on with the defending Western Conference champions. Edmonton now has enough cap flexibility to pluck any of the trio from the free-agent market with the ability to make further upgrades at next year’s trade deadline.

Edmonton Oilers Justin Schultz| Kevin Shattenkirk

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Max Pacioretty Expected To Sign Soon

August 23, 2024 at 4:32 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain 6 Comments

One of the better free agent options left on the board should find a new home in the coming days as Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports forward Max Pacioretty has at least three offers from teams and should decide on his new home soon. Seravalli did not indicate whether Pacioretty was deciding between offers for a one-way contract or a professional tryout agreement with any of the speculated teams.

Pacioretty’s days as a lethal goal scorer are in the rearview mirror as a pair of Achilles tears briefly put his career on the brink. The veteran scorer’s last truly effective season came in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season in which he scored 24 goals and 51 points in 48 games for the Vegas Golden Knights. Pacioretty was once again a point-per-game player the following year with 19 goals and 37 points but only managed 39 games due to fractures in his foot and wrist.

That summer, Pacioretty suffered his first Achilles tear which had him poised to start the season on LTIR for the Golden Knights. With a need for salary cap relief during the offseason, Vegas traded Pacioretty and defenseman Dylan Coghlan to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for future considerations. The Hurricanes were hoping for a quality season from Pacioretty once he recovered from his Achilles tear.

In one of the more heartbreaking events of the 2022-23 NHL season, Pacioretty would only suit up in five games for Carolina before suffering another Achilles tear on January 19th in a game against the Minnesota Wild which ended his season. With the future of his career up in the air, Pacioretty committed to returning to the NHL and landed a bonus-laden contract with the Washington Capitals on the first day of free agency last year.

Pacioretty debuted with the Capitals in early January and managed 47 games for the organization to finish the season. He was relatively productive, scoring four goals and 23 points, as he received limited responsibility in Washington averaging the least amount of ice time over a season since his sophomore year with the Montreal Canadiens in 2009-10.

Depending on where he lands, Pacioretty should be a serviceable offensive option to plug into any team’s middle-six. The 2011-12 Bill Masterton Trophy recipient is still in pursuit of his first Stanley Cup ring over his 16-year career and may be content with a lesser-valued role to achieve that goal.

Uncategorized Max Pacioretty

6 comments

San Jose Sharks Acquire, Extend Yaroslav Askarov

August 23, 2024 at 2:57 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain 29 Comments

The Nashville Predators’ number one goaltending prospect seems to have gotten his wish for a move outside of the Predators organization as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman is reporting that the San Jose Sharks are close to acquiring Yaroslav Askarov. According to a press release from Nashville, the Sharks will acquire Askarov, forward Nolan Burke, and Colorado’s third-round pick of the 2025 NHL Draft while sending away forward David Edstrom, goalie Magnus Chrona, and Vegas’ first-round pick in 2025.

It’s a major get for a rebuilding Sharks organization that was missing a true impact talent between the pipes. Over the past few years, San Jose has built up a nice young core of Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, Sam Dickinson, Filip Bystedt, and Shakir Mukhamadullin but has since failed to procure a long-term goaltender. With Askarov now in the fold, the Sharks have a 22-year-old goalie who has done nothing but dominate in the American Hockey League over the last two years.

With his entry-level contract set to expire at the end of the 2024-25 campaign, the Sharks moved quickly on an extension for Askarov with his agent Dan Milstein announcing a two-year deal for the young goaltender. Shortly thereafter PuckPedia relayed that Askarov will earn a $1.7MM salary with a $200K signing bonus in 2025-26 and a $2.1MM salary in 2026-27 with an AAV of $2M.

Askarov’s rise to stardom didn’t happen overnight. He was ranked as the highest available European goaltender in the 2020 NHL Draft leading to him being the first one taken off the board with the 11th overall pick by the Predators. In his draft year, Askarov suited up in 18 games for the VHL’s SKA-Neva St. Petersburg where he produced a 12-3-3 record along with a .920 save percentage and 2.45 goals-against average.

The young Russian netminder spent a few more years playing in Russia’s junior league before signing his entry-level contract with Nashville in 2022 and joining the organization for the 2022-23 season. In his rookie season with the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL, Askarov put up a 26-16-5 record in 48 contests coupled with a .911 SV% and 2.69 GAA which immediately put him on the map as a legitimate high-end goaltending prospect.

Askarov gave the Predators a decision to make. Over nearly the last two decades, Nashville has had the privilege of high-end goaltending with the organization seamlessly transferring from Pekka Rinne to Juuse Saros. The Predators quickly began receiving trade calls for both Askarov and Saros before signing Saros to an eight-year extension earlier this summer.

Despite the trade chatter, Askarov dominated in the AHL once again this past season with a 30-13-1 record in 44 games with a duplicated save percentage. Despite another year of solid play between the pipes, the Predators signed goalie Scott Wedgewood to serve as Saros’ backup next year, leading to Askarov requesting a trade from the organization.

He may not get the starting minutes right away with the Sharks as the team already deploys Mackenzie Blackwood and Vitek Vanecek as their current options. Given the current competitive status of the team, however, Askarov will have every opportunity to earn the starting minutes down the stretch and could even be the Sharks undisputed starter by season’s end.

Heading back to Nashville is a nearly identical package that the Sharks received for forward Tomas Hertl at this past year’s trade deadline. Edstrom was originally drafted with the 32nd overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft by the Vegas Golden Knights and has been working his way through the SHL with Frölunda HC on loan. The young two-way center brings solid awareness to both sides of the puck and should be a decent middle-six option for the Predators down the road.

Chrona will likely be deployed as a serviceable third-string goaltender for Nashville with a majority of his starts coming with the team’s AHL affiliate in Milwaukee. The University of Denver alum helped the Pioneers to their ninth National Championship in program history during the 2022 Frozen Four tournament. He finished his senior year with a 22-9-0 record in 31 games. Chrona signed with the Sharks as a collegiate free agent and made his debut with the team last year toward the end of the season where he collected one win in nine games on the heels of a .859 SV%.

The first-round pick, also acquired by San Jose in the Hertl trade, will be top-10 protected according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. If the draft choice were to fall in the top 10 of the 2025 NHL Draft, the Sharks would have the option of sending their pick or Vegas’ to Nashville.

Although Edstrom has decent upside as a forward prospect, he may not necessarily have the prospect pedigree that Nashville was originally looking for in exchange for Askarov to start the summer. However, the team still got much better in free agency with the acquisitions of Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei and now have three first-round picks for the 2025 NHL Draft.

Nashville Predators| Newsstand| San Jose Sharks| Transactions David Edstrom| Magnus Chrona| Nolan Burke| Yaroslav Askarov

29 comments

Vancouver Canucks Sign Samuel Blais To PTO

August 22, 2024 at 12:30 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain 2 Comments

Forward Sammy Blais will look to play for the third NHL team of his career as the Vancouver Canucks announced he has signed a contract with their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks, as well as a professional tryout agreement with Vancouver. The one-time Stanley Cup champion bottom-six forward will have a chance to crack the Canucks’ opening night roster in training camp or land a two-way deal to start the regular season.

The physical forward recently wrapped up his second stint with the St. Louis Blues after being re-acquired from the New York Rangers in a 2023 trade that sent Vladimir Tarasenko to the Big Apple. The Rangers acquired Blais for another Russian forward in the 2021 trade that landed Pavel Buchnevich with the Blues.

Blais cracked the Blues’ roster four years after being drafted by the team in the sixth round of the 2014 NHL Draft and he immediately became a force to be reckoned with in the team’s bottom six. He quickly became one of the more physical players on the team by collecting 366 hits in 119 games during his first run in St. Louis. Aside from scoring 17 goals and 35 points in total, Blais helped the Blues secure their first Stanley Cup championship during the 2019 playoffs by collecting one goal and three points in 15 postseason contests.

He never got much opportunity with the Rangers organization as injuries limited him to only 14 regular season contests. New York re-signed Blais to a one-year, $1.53MM deal for the 2022-23 NHL season but only gave him 9:38 of ice time during the regular season which made him expendable at the trade deadline. Heading back to St. Louis, Blais experienced his best stretch of hockey at the NHL level as he scored nine goals and 20 points in 31 games to end the season.

His play at the end of the 2022-23 campaign earned him a one-year, $1MM extension with the Blues organization but he was unable to score at the same rate. He finished last year with one goal and seven points in 53 games and will now look to force his way into a crowded Canucks forward core.

Transactions| Vancouver Canucks Samuel Blais

2 comments

Penguins, Jets Swap Rutger McGroarty And Brayden Yager

August 22, 2024 at 11:05 am CDT | by Brennan McClain 46 Comments

1:45 PM: The Winnipeg Jets have confirmed the one-for-one swap.

11:00 AM: The Pittsburgh Penguins may have found their solution to who will play on a line with Sidney Crosby. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman is reporting the organization is close to acquiring forward prospect Rutger McGroarty from the Winnipeg Jets. A few moments later, Friedman additionally reported the Penguins would be sending prospect Brayden Yager back to Winnipeg.

McGroarty immediately becomes the best forward prospect in the Penguins organization with Yager’s exit and has a legitimate opportunity to crack the roster next season. Although nothing was purposefully made public, McGroarty reportedly sought a trade out of Winnipeg in late June for a more readily available opportunity at the NHL level.

Shortly after being acquired by the organization, the Penguins signed McGroarty to his entry-level contract meaning his time at the University of Michigan has concluded. The three-year deal will pay McGroarty a salary of $855K at the NHL level with a signing bonus of $50K and performance ’A’ bonuses up to $500K each year of the deal.

It’s difficult to argue with McGroarty on being NHL-ready as he recently finished ninth in NCAA scoring during the 2023-24 season with 16 goals and 52 points in 36 games. He was also sensational during the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championships for Team USA as he scored five goals and nine points in seven tournament contests while captaining his team to a gold medal finish for the first time since 2021.

If the Penguins graduate McGroarty to the NHL for the 2024-25 campaign, he fills an obvious need on Crosby’s wing. Playing primarily against Big Ten opponents during his time in the NCAA, McGroarty developed an innate skill to read opposing defenses and show off his elite playmaking abilities in the offensive zone. He’s not satisfied without the puck either, as he is a relentless forechecker with a combination of skill and physical play.

His forechecking abilities make him an ideal candidate to put on a line with Crosby or Evgeni Malkin, as both players thrive with the puck on their sticks. McGroarty’s style of play should open up plenty of space for the two Pittsburgh legends but he also has a good enough shot to finish the play himself.

Yager was selected exactly one year after McGroarty with the 14th overall selection of the 2023 NHL Draft. He spent last season with the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors collecting 35 goals and 95 points in 57 games as the team’s assistant captain. He further cemented his legacy with the Moose Jaw program with an incredible playoff performance with 11 goals and 27 points in 20 games en route to becoming champions of the WHL.

Yager also had the opportunity to represent Team Canada at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championships and scored five points in five games for the Canadians but unfortunately failed to medal. It appeared as if Yager may have an outside chance of making Pittsburgh’s roster for the 2024-25 campaign with the team signing him to his entry-level contract only a month ago. Now, Yager will attempt to crack Winnipeg’s roster in training camp.

The young Saskatoon native has inherent value as a right-handed shot center who also brings more defensive awareness to his game in comparison to McGroarty. If the organization is not content with giving Cole Perfetti minutes down the middle of the ice on the team’s second line, Yager provides a confident long-term answer at center behind Mark Scheifele.

Newsstand| Pittsburgh Penguins| Winnipeg Jets Brayden Yager| Rutger McGroarty

46 comments

AHL Notes: Burke, Mara, Jackson, Giroux

August 22, 2024 at 10:31 am CDT | by Brennan McClain Leave a Comment

The AHL affiliate of the New York Rangers, the Hartford Wolf Pack, rounded out their coaching staff today as they announced the hire of Brendan Burke as the team’s goaltending coach and Paul Mara as one of the team’s assistant coaches. Burke is replacing Jeff Malcolm as the team’s full-time goaltending coach who was promoted to the Rangers’ goaltending coach yesterday.

It will be Burke’s first professional opportunity to coach after spending the last two years with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks. In Portland, Burke would teach goaltenders Jan Spunar and Dante Giannuzzi during his two-year tenure with Spunar collecting a .908 SV% and .913% each year, respectively. Hartford will have several young options to compete for the backup role with Louis Domingue set to take on the starting minutes next season.

The Wolf Pack also decided to remove the interim tag from Mara after being brought to the organization in early December last year. Mara has already collected significant hardware as a coach as he previously served as the head coach of the Boston Pride in the NWHL and PHF. He coached the Pride to back-to-back championships in 2021 and 2022 while also collecting a gold medal as an assistant coach with Team USA’s Women’s team during the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

Other AHL notes:

  • The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have brought in an ECHL standout from last season as they announced an AHL contract for forward Kyle Jackson earlier today. After wrapping up his OHL career with the North Bay Battalion in 2022-23, Jackson spent all last year with the Kansas City Mavericks of the ECHL which saw him collect 14 goals and 44 points in 53 games. Jackson’s final two years in the OHL were extremely productive as he scored 61 goals and 145 points in 112 games leading to him being selected by the Seattle Kraken in the seventh round of the 2022 NHL Draft although he would not sign.
  • The two-time defending Western Conference champion, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, have also entered the free agent market as the team has signed forward Damien Giroux to an AHL contract for the 2024-25 season. Giroux served in three seasons with the Iowa Wild as a playmaking option on the team’s bottom six before making his NHL debut with the Minnesota Wild on April 13, 2023. The young forward spent last year split between the AHL and ECHL with the Buffalo Sabres organization and will likely serve in a similar capacity with the Firebirds.

AHL| New York Rangers| Pittsburgh Penguins| Seattle Kraken| Transactions Brendan Burke| Damien Giroux| Kyle Jackson| Paul Mara

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Pittsburgh Penguins Sign Nikolai Knyzhov To PTO

August 22, 2024 at 9:05 am CDT | by Brennan McClain 1 Comment

The Pittsburgh Penguins are allowing a former prospect of the San Jose Sharks to crack the roster as the team announced they have agreed to a professional tryout agreement with defenseman Nikolai Knyzhov. The news comes nearly two months after the Sharks placed Knyzhov on unconditional waivers to terminate his contract.

After a strong season in the Russian VHL with SKA-Neva St. Petersburg in 2018-19, the Sharks poached Knyzhov out of his home country as an undrafted free agent. Knyzhov transitioned nicely to North American hockey in the AHL the following season on the San Jose Barracuda scoring one goal and five points in 33 games while collecting a +4 rating and making his NHL debut. With the 2019-20 season marking the beginning of the downfall in San Jose, Knyzhov had the opportunity to become a full-time NHLer the following season.

He suited up in all 56 games for the Sharks in the COVID-shortened campaign. Knyzhov was not given a significant amount of responsibility out of the gate as he averaged 16:45 of ice time per game which allowed him to put up two goals and 10 points. He wasn’t a liability on the back end either as he earned a 48.5% CorsiFor% and a 90.6% on-ice save percentage which were good for fourth and third on the team, respectively.

Knyzhov’s strong rookie showcase was overshadowed by a groin injury that would keep him out of the 2021-22 season and a subsequent Achilles injury shelved his 2022-23 season until January. Although the Sharks committed to Knyzhov on the heels of a two-year, $2.5MM extension that season, he was never fully able to recover his value in the organization leading to a termination of his contract earlier this offseason.

The Russian defenseman has opted to continue his career in the NHL — this time on the other side of the United States. The Penguins’ top four is relatively set heading into the 2024-25 season (assuming no injuries), allowing Knyzhov to compete for a bottom-pairing or depth defenseman role. In training camp, Knyzhov will be battling it out with defenseman Ryan Shea and Sebastian Aho for one of these roles with one of the trio inevitably being sent down to start the year.

Pittsburgh Penguins| Transactions Nikolai Knyzhov

1 comment

Oilers Considering Tyson Barrie On PTO

August 22, 2024 at 7:58 am CDT | by Brennan McClain 5 Comments

The Edmonton Oilers are looking for a puck-moving right-handed shot defenseman as they reimagine their defensive core after declining to match Philip Broberg’s offer sheet from the St. Louis Blues a few days ago. TSN’s Dustin Neilson reports the team has considered inking Tyson Barrie to a professional tryout agreement to help fill the void on the back end.

As discussed in a previous article, the Oilers’ defensive core left a lot to be desired even before the departure of Broberg with Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm representing the only true top-four options on the blue line. Barrie is only two years removed from scoring 10 goals and 43 points in 61 games for the Oilers on the blue line and could bridge the gap between the top-pairing and Edmonton’s less desirable options.

It will be interesting to see if Barrie can bounce back after a disappointing season with the Nashville Predators during his age-33 season. Originally acquired from the Oilers in the trade package that brought Ekholm to Alberta, Barrie finished last season with one goal and 15 points in 41 games. The relationship fractured between Barrie and the Predators early last season with the team making him a healthy scratch in early December and permitting him to speak to other teams about a potential opportunity.

Assuming that Edmonton eventually signs Barrie to a PTO and he makes the team out of training camp, he would give the Oilers more flexibility on their back end. The team could then put Barrie next to Brett Kulak on the second defensive pairing and move Darnell Nurse to a more comfortable role on the bottom pairing. Barrie is not necessarily a defensive liability but he saw his E +/- dip to nearly -13 in only 65 games with the Predators.

Barrie is not the only option that could interest Edmonton as Justin Schultz and Kevin Shattenkirk still sit without homes for the 2024-25 NHL season. The former has experience with the Oilers organization from earlier in his career, but certainly not as recent as Barrie. Unless Edmonton is confident that their current group can hold down the fort in the Pacific Division until next year’s trade deadline, all signs indicate one of these players will join the Oilers for the upcoming season.

Edmonton Oilers Tyson Barrie

5 comments

Poll: Which Team Will Trade For Yaroslav Askarov?

August 21, 2024 at 4:58 pm CDT | by Brennan McClain 34 Comments

The top goaltending prospect of the Nashville Predators, Yaroslav Askarov, made waves around the NHL a few days ago as he publicly requested a trade out of the Predators’ organization. Askarov and his agent assert that if he is not moved by the end of training camp and is sent down to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, he will not report.

Askarov has seen his name come up in trade chatter a few times over the last two summers, primarily at the NHL draft, with the Predators attempting to acquire a top-five selection. No general manager was willing to meet the asking price of general manager Barry Trotz, so Askarov stayed with the organization at the AHL level, where he put up monster performances. Now that Nashville has committed to Juuse Saros on the heels of an eight-year, $61.92MM extension and also signed Scott Wedgewood to serve as the team’s backup for the 2024-25 campaign, Askarov is looking for an opportunity elsewhere.

The most immediate team that comes to mind is the San Jose Sharks, who are rebuilding their organization from the ground up but have very little in the way of goaltending prospects. By acquiring Askarov from the Predators, San Jose could cut bait with Mackenzie Blackwood or Vitek Vanecek at any point during the regular season, assuming Askarov develops into a starting goaltender. A little over a week ago the assistant general manager of the Sharks, Joe Will, detailed that San Jose is still looking for a third-string goaltender on the younger side.

Another team in a similar position to the Sharks lies 2,000 miles inland in Chicago. The Blackhawks are only a year removed from selecting with the first overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft and are also looking to bring their organization back to contention. As much as Chicago would want to complete their prospect pool with Askarov, the Predators won’t be quick to help out a divisional rival. The Blackhawks would likely have to pay a higher premium than most teams if they hoped to acquire Askarov and may look for their goaltender of the future down the road.

Unlike San Jose and Chicago, one surprise candidate for Askarov may come from Sin City. The Vegas Golden Knights have always had a fair for the dramatics and with both of their netminders headed for unrestricted free agency next offseason, the Golden Knights may look for a cheaper option. As one of the more cap-strapped teams in the NHL, the aggressive addition of Askarov would give the Golden Knights a cost-controlled netminder for the next several years, with the team able to invest in other areas of the roster. Unfortunately, without a first-round pick until the 2027 NHL Draft, Vegas may not have the resources to acquire the young netminder.

Although Askarov publicly requested a trade out of Nashville, the team is in no rush to trade him. Since the Predators could theoretically hold onto him for the next several years, the public nature of the trade request should not hamper his trade value on the market. There will be several teams looking to poach Askarov from the Predators, but if recent history has taught us anything, Trotz will get his money’s worth in any trade.

Which Team Will Trade For Yaroslav Askarov?
Other (comment below) 45.83% (759 votes)
San Jose Sharks 24.34% (403 votes)
Chicago Blackhawks 19.93% (330 votes)
Vegas Golden Knights 9.90% (164 votes)
Total Votes: 1,656

Nashville Predators Yaroslav Askarov

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