Future in the crease is solid
While most of the Nashville Predators faithful are wondering what will happen with Lankinen at the trade deadline, I can assure you this; whether the Predators are able to keep him or not, there is not a shortage of goaltending in this franchise.
Askarov is the likely candidate as the backup to Saros, this season or next, and with the Predators development of young goaltenders, Askarov will be ready when that time comes.
It definitely helps when you have goaltending coach Ben Vanderklok, development coach Dave Rook, and Pekka Rinne assisting in developing these young stars.
Now, like I said before, you can have the best offense in the league but if you have mediocre goaltending, you will not succeed. It goes the other way too; goaltenders can only do so much, and this team has to rally in front of their goalies and score more if they want to be successful.