The 26th pick in the 2025 NHL Draft went to the Nashville Predators earlier tonight, which they used to take Ryker Lee. The pick gave us the final detail of the Yaroslav Askarov trade that occurred in August 2024.
If you remember it right, Askarov went to the San Jose Sharks on August 23rd in a trade that involved a third-rounder in 2025 and Nolan Burke. In return, the Sharks traded a conditional 2025 first-round pick that initially belonged to the Vegas Golden Knights, Magnus Chrona, and David Edstrom to Nashville.
Since Vegas made the playoffs in 2025 and would've picked well outside of the top 10 if they held the pick, the Preds got the 26th selection. Now that the full details of this trade are complete, it's now time to see who will win out on this deal.
Will the Predators edge out the Sharks on the Yaroslav Askarov trade?
During his time with the Preds, Askarov played in just three games and logged two starts. He put up an incredible 0.914 save percentage and a 2.58 GAA. Great numbers, but with such a small sample size and Juuse Saros locked in as the Predators starting goaltender for the foreseeable future, it's hard to get a solid read on just how good Askarov would've been.
In San Jose, Askarov wasn't going to enjoy an incredible season, since the Sharks were once again struggling as one of the NHL's worst teams. But he posted respectable numbers, with an 0.896 save percentage, a 3.10 GAA, and a 0.583 quality starts percentage.
Not bad if you ask me, and those numbers will get even better in time. But still, if I'm the Preds, I'm taking the proven product in Juuse Saros and taking my chances with a late-first-round pick that was Ryker Lee.
And however Lee fares compared to what Askarov does in San Jose are the two key components to judge on whether this trade was worth it for the Preds. Or, if the Preds can stay ahead of the Sharks every time they face Askarov.
Right now, it's too early to tell, but it'll be interesting to watch the Preds play every time they square off against a player who could've been their netminder in time.
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