Trade Pitch Sees Red Wings Acquire Top Goalie Prospect in Intriguing Move

The Detroit Red Wings have a major question mark with their goaltending, but one trade pitch helps address that.

Yaroslav Askarov is the top goalie prospect in the NHL, but he is blocked by Juuse Saros who is the starting goalie for the Nashville Predators and just signed a long-term deal with the club. With that, on the website PuckPedia has a new tool called PuckGM that lets users create their own trades. One user proposed a deal that would see the Red Wings acquire the star goalie.

Red Wings get:

• Yaroslav Askarov

Predators get:

• Alex Lyon
• Jonatan Berggren
• 2025 third-round pick

The proposed deal sees the Red Wings only get Askarov who would immediately likely become the team’s starting goalie. Askarov was drafted 11th overall in the 2020 NHL draft and spent last season in the AHL.

In the AHL, Askarov went 30-13-1 with a 2.39 GAA and a .911 SV%, while he has appeared in three NHL games going 1-1 with a 2.57 GAA and a .914 SV%. At age 22, he appears ready to become a full-time NHL goalie.

In return, Nashville would get a goalie in Alex Lyon who can serve as the Predators’ backup or AHL starter and give them more depth. Lyon is 31 and has played in 83 NHL games and is a serviceable backup.

However, the big piece is Jonatan Berggren and the draft pick. Berggren was drafted in the second round of the 2018 NHL draft and the 22-year-old is a serviceable NHL player. Last season with Detroit, he recorded 2 goals and 4 assists for 6 points in 12 games.

It does seem likely that Nashville will want more in return for Askarov, but the Russian goalie has yet to prove himself at the NHL level. He is also blocked from a starting job and is an RFA next season and will be in for a raise which the Predators may have a hard time giving him.

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Insider Says Askarov is on the Trading Block

Nashville general manager Barry Trotz has been reluctant to trade Askarov, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported on his 32 Thoughts The Podcast that the goalie is on the trade block.

“For several weeks now, they have kind of said to teams, let us know what you think, what the market is for him, because I do think they are going to do something. I believe the one thing that Askarov has indicated to both the Predators and it’s been floating around league-wide is he doesn’t want to go to the American Hockey League, he wants to be in the NHL next year,” Friedman reported.

With Askarov wanting a chance to be in the NHL and start next season, he is blocked in Nashville.

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Red Wings Make Goaltending Moves

Detroit was active in the offseason to address their goalie position but there still are concerns about the position.

The Red Wings inked Ville Husso to a three-year $14.25 million contract in 2022 but that contract has not worked out. Because of that, Detroit signed free agent goalie Cam Talbot to a two-year $5 million deal to compete with Husso for the starting position.

Along with those two, the Red Wings still have Alex Lyon under contract and also signed Jack Campbell to be their AHL goalie. However, Detroit doesn’t have a bonafide No. 1 goalie, which is why the Red Wings could be interested in Askarov.

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