Could the Nashville Predators really send their prized goalie to a division rival?

At this point it seems pretty inevitable that Yaroslav Askarov will be traded by the Nashville Predators, but when that happens is entirely up in the air. But trading him to a division rival seems kind of crazy, doesn't it?

Blackhawk Up, who covers the Chicago Blackhawks on the FanSided network, recently wrote that the Blackhawks must make a trade push for Askarov, suggesting that the Predators will need to get younger in the coming years and the Blackhawks could help with that in trade for Askarov.

Trading a depth player or a prospect within the division is one thing, but trading a possible future standout goalie is where I get a little nervous. You are potentially setting yourself up for disaster having to deal with an elite goalie on a division opponent. And for what? A future prospect that may or may not work out for you three or more years down the road?

Keep dreaming, Blackhawks fans....

Goalie is such an impact position, and Askarov is regarded as the top goalie prospect in the world right now. All indications are pointing towards him eventually being a franchise goalie once he's finally allowed to get the NHL starts regularly and build his confidence.

After Juuse Saros was signed by the Predators to a massive extension of eight years, the writing was on the wall that Askarov was going to be flipped as a trade piece rather than being the future of the position in Nashville.

There was even rumblings that a draft day trade would happen involving Askarov so that the Predators could move into the top-10. That obviously never happened, but the trade speculation surrounding Askarov will only get louder the longer this drags out.

The Blackhawks are going to have to offer a lot more than an "up and coming" prospect for me to get on board with keeping Askarov in the division. In other words, the Blackhawks have to pay a much steeper price for being a division rival than say a team like the Blue Jackets, who also are rumored to be interested in Askarov.

Sorry Chicago, but you have to pay the ultra premium price, and even then I'm not really comfortable with doing business with you.

The Blackhawks have a decent prospect pool, but it's just not a match for the Predators

Trotz has stated he wants a prospect that is of equal value to Askarov. But is he really going to play with fire and send Askarov to the hated Blackhawks?

Could you imagine the backlash when Askarov hangs a shutout on the Predators the first time he faces the team that drafted him and subsequently shipped him off? Talk about a redemption story, and Askarov just comes off like the guy that would absolutely relish in burning his former team. He has that kind of confidence and swagger to just forever haunt the Predators while wearing a Blackhawks sweater.

When you look over the Blackhawks prospect pool, of course they have a lot of talent thanks to picking so high in the draft every year. Now I must admit I'm not an expert on the Blackhawks prospect pool, but Scott Wheeler of The Athletic ranked the Blackhawks prospect pool 7th among the 32 NHL teams back in January, while the Predators came in at 8th.

A future prospect isn't enough for me to send Askarov to the Blackhawks of all teams and risk having to deal with him on a regular basis potentially for the next decade. Hard pass from me unless the Blackhawks are prepared to sweeten the deal substantially with a proven NHL starter.

Although the goalie market cooled off after the wave of free agency in July, there are still teams that could use Askarov for their crease and are better trade matches for the Predators.

Per SportsNet, The Devils could be interested in the long-term picture of adding Askarov and might offer current RFA Dawson Mercer, and the Sharks are another strong suitor that has an extra first round draft pick to put in a trade package.

The Blackhawks and their fans can keep dreaming, but I don't see Predators GM Barry Trotz doing anything to help the Blackhawks in their long rebuild back into a playoff contending team. They'll have to search elsewhere for their future franchise goalie, and for the Predators trading Askarov, there will be plenty of potential suitors interested in the coming months.

Until that happens, Askarov can continue to cook in the AHL for the Milwaukee Admirals until the right trade partner and offer comes across Trotz's desk. The Blue Jackets appear to be the best trade partner to stay in close touch with, and they have a better prospect pool than the Blackhawks.