Trotz: Askarov will be great, but I'm not sure he's mentally ready
Nashville Predators general manager Barry Trotz shed some light on why he felt comfortable trading top goalie prospect Yaroslav Askarov to the San Jose Sharks last week.
"Asky is going to be an excellent goaltender because he's got unbelievable athletic skills, and he's got a very confident personality - all that," Trotz told The Athletic's Michael Russo. "But if you talk to elite goaltenders, they won't talk about elite physical attributes. They'll talk about elite mentalities and elite mindsets and elite preparation and stuff like that. And I'm not quite sure that he's there yet.
"I know this just from years and years of working with (goaltending coach) Mitch Korn, who I think is the best in the business. The mental part, the physical part, the emotional part all have to get to a very mature state to have a lot of consistency in this game."
Trotz traded Askarov, forward Nolan Burke, and a 2025 third-round pick to the Sharks for a conditional 2025 first-rounder, forward David Edstrom, and netminder Magnus Chrona on Friday. The Sharks then signed Askarov to a two-year extension at $2 million annually on top of the $925,000 he'll earn this season.
Nashville inked franchise goalie Juuse Saros to an eight-year extension worth nearly $62 million June 27. Four days later, the Preds signed veteran puck-stopper Scott Wedgewood to a two-year pact for $1.5 million per season.
Trotz told Russo that Wedgewood understood he'd be assigned to the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals if Askarov beat him out for the backup job. But the GM said "apparently Asky felt there needed to be a clear path to No. 1."
Askarov reportedly asked the Predators to deal him and refused to report to Milwaukee before Trotz traded him to San Jose.
The GM believes the young goalie can reach the next level in terms of his play if he displays consistency, and that it should only be a matter of time before that happens.
"You see some of the goaltenders, that they're just out of balance a little bit, and it's hard to get that consistency, but once they get that balance, they become very consistent, and they can be the top guy," he said. "So, I think Asky's not quite there yet. Will he be? Oh, yeah, eventually, if he puts the time in and does all the things that he needs to do."
Askarov has spent the vast majority of his pro career in the AHL after coming over to North America from Russia in 2022-23. The 22-year-old went 26-16-5 with a .911 save percentage over 48 games with the Admirals in that campaign while also playing one NHL game with Nashville.
He went 30-13-1 with the same save percentage across 44 contests with Milwaukee last season, appearing in two games for the Predators. Nashville drafted him 11th overall in 2020.