The Nashville Predators have stolen the headlines once again this offseason, this time for not such a good reason. Yaroslav Askarov has formally requested a trade out of Nashville, and on top of that, the report mentioned that he will not show up to play for the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL.
As far as the trade request goes, it is hardly a shock, as the writing was firmly on the wall when Juuse Saros was signed to an eight-year contract. Scott Wedgewood also was signed to a two-year contract to be the Predators' backup goaltender, meaning that Askarov's only playing time this year will be in the AHL, outside of rare occasions.
There is no conceivable path for Askarov to play in Nashville in the short term or the long term, so it is totally understandable why he is upset with the situation. It is something that needs to be resolved as soon as possible, and honestly, it will take work being done by both sides to make it happen.
Askarov's trade request has created a mess for Nashville Predators and himself
Once again, Saros being signed for eight more years means that he is the starter for a long time, and Askarov is all but out of the picture. There is a contingent of Predators fans who have advocated for Askarov to take over in four or five years and the team to trade Saros then, but even before the recent news, I never thought that way.
The truth is, if you sign a player like Saros to a major contract, you have to be fully in and not have the mentality of trading him midway through the deal. If the Predators were to operate that way, it would be really complicated and could blow up in their face if it does not work, so it is more than likely not in their plans.
Given, Askarov has every right to want out of Nashville, and if his request were to have stopped at that, almost nobody would be criticizing him. But you have to remember that he said he would not report back to Milwaukee, and that is where he is taking this too far.
Despite his talent and draft pedigree, Askarov has to remember that he has three total games of NHL experience under his belt, nowhere enough to be recognized even as a legit backup. And if he had steamrolled through the AHL with absolutely no issues up to this point, that would be another discussion, but that has not happened.
Askarov struggled in the most recent playoffs, even to the point of losing the starter's job for a few games. He clearly has more to prove even at the AHL level, so he needs to calm down and realize that refusing to return there is getting quite a bit ahead of himself.
Yes, it is easy to be resentful when you seemingly have no path to get to where you want to be on a team, but this is the NHL. Like all pro sports, it is a league where the organizations prioritize the team, not the individuals, and they will not wait for anyone to reach their highest level when they think they have a solution elsewhere.
Due to factors in and out of his control, Askarov has found himself in that situation with Saros being re-signed, and the hard truth is that he just has to make the best of it with what he can.
So how do both sides end up reaching a resolution?
This is a problem that could become a legit distraction if not resolved in a timely manner, especially with training camp around the corner. And as mentioned, both Askarov and the Predators need to take a step back and eventually come to a middle ground on what they want.
For Askarov, he should not feel the need to rescind his trade request, but go back on the part about him not reporting to Milwaukee. Not only does this hurt the team's leverage in a potential trade and thus his value, but it hurts himself as a pure player.
Other teams know he has not proven himself at all at the NHL level, and if he is actually serious about sitting out in the AHL, they will notice and see him as someone who pouts and is not mentally tough.
Trotz even talked in detail about the plan for Askarov after the Saros extension, and specifically about him playing in the AHL versus the NHL. Clearly, Trotz does not think Askarov is ready for the NHL, Andrew Brunette surely does not disagree, and Mitch Korn, one of the best goaltending coaches we have seen, evidently does not think so either.
Trotz also talked about a potential trade, and indicated that he would be open to a deal if the right one came up. Askarov is not just being held hostage here, it is truly in his best interest to just keep his head down and play in the AHL, and assuming he meets expectations, could and probably would be rewarded with his wish being granted.
On the other hand, let's not deny the fact that it is not great on Trotz's part that it has gotten to this point. Everyone could see the writing on the wall when Saros was signed and knew that Askarov was not happy, so it would have been ideal for him to have a plan to keep him happy right then and there.
It is completely understandable that Trotz wants to get a fair return for someone as talented as Askarov, but he needs to realize that he does not have full leverage here. It is hard to think he ever did with everyone knowing Askarov was essentially out of the Predators' future plans, and he surely does not have it now.
Trotz should not just panic and trade him for scraps, but should act with more urgency to get a deal done. Not only will prolonging this anger Askarov and his camp, but it will loom over the whole team, and as mentioned, Trotz needs to act in the greater good and get a trade done as soon as he can, even if it is for less than he wants.
The most ideal next step in this debacle is that Trotz and Askarov meet, and Trotz encourages him to report to Milwaukee, but under the condition that if he does, he will actively look for a trade partner.
In this situation, Askarov would actually get to play for something he wants, even is his request is not granted outright. And even though Trotz would not like to show his hand, is doing so in this situation really making a difference, since it is known that the two sides parting ways is a matter of when, and not it?
Something has to give, and doing it this way would be meeting in the middle and doing so in the least painful way possible.