Examining The Fallout From The Yaroslav Askarov Trade With The Locked On Predators

[@YoungMatt81]

I don't blame Askarov, really. They signed Saros to 8 years, then Wedgewood to 2. Not only did that signal he has no chance to be "the guy", it's that he won't even been the understudy to the guy for at least two years. Three to four years or more of being the starter in the AHL is pretty well unheard of for anyone who steadily progresses and proves themselves. I feel like it's been well known Trotz doesn't like Askarov, and that probably soured the situation. If I had a boss I knew didn't like me, I'd want out, too.

[@michaelknepper-ut8if]

Loved the podcast as always. Relevant to news topics with the Sharks and am eagerly awaiting your Cuda analysis for next season. As to the trade ... From the Nashville prospective I am agreement with the ladies. When they moved Asakrov Nashville needed a netminder for their AHL team and in Chrona they got that. But it also makes me think that, because they know they are set for the foreseeable future at goal they know Chrona does not have a lot of upside and is not anywhere near to where he should be playing any significant minutes in the NHL other than a couple games stint when needed. As to Edstrom. I liked him on his draft year and was hoping the Sharks could get him with their second round pick. Alas, it was not to be. Still, we got him and IMO he will be a solid, if not very good, third line center. I think he is more projectable than Bystedt, although will be a year or two behind him getting to the NHL. It is also an area that Nashville needs more depth at in their prospect pool so that was good for them and could be an asset used to acquire a player to augment their current roster later in the season of they choose to. The pick was good and having three picks in the first round provides a lot of flexibility. They can trade one or two and still get a really good prospect in the draft. It allows them to review what player they want and keep the pick where they feel that prospect would land. The protection is a good thing for Nashville as well as they now can root for the Knights to fall apart as they would prefer that the Sharks have to exercise the option because this would mean they are getting a top-ten pick. Odds are the protection will not need to be used but this is the NHL and the Knights are at the end of their run IMO. From my prospective as a Sharks fan: Losing the pick sucks but it is the price that had to be paid (especially if we were competing against other NHL teams to get Askarov). I think the Sharks believe it will most likely land between a mid twenties to a mid teens pick. It would have been useful to use that pick with their own pick for flexibility and they might have gotten lucky and run into someone slipping like Musty or Chernyshov but that normally is not the case. Mainly that pick would be a middle pair defenseman or a middle six forward. The Sharks are flush with those in their pipeline. Plus, with the protection, if the pick lands within the draft lottery they get two shots at the number one pick and if not that, they pick the highest selection of the two. The prospect is neither here nor there. I expect he will be playing in the system for a time but who knows. He might be a good depth piece or someone to add to a trade in the future. Askarov is the prize and more than worth what was paid. I could go into a lot of reasons why but the most obvious is that it does huge things for the Sharks organization, like: 1) It fills a hole in their prospect pool. They have goalie prospects but none are ready for the NHL. Romanov is a good two to three years and is projectable as a backup. The other two were just drafted. One was injured and will be playing in the Russian league system for a good year or two before even coming to North America. The other played in the Swiss pro league. He will play next season in the USHL and then it is off to college. The Sharks will not see him for a minimum of three years after that. So Askarov being ready this or next season fills a HUGE void. 2) It provides insurance in case one of their starting goalies goes down with injury (neither made it through last season without injury and both have had injury history in their past) 3) It makes the Cuda better if that is where he ends up. 4) It allows them flexibility that they have not had in a couple seasons in multiple ways ( for example they are developing another Russian goalie in Romanov who just had his first pro North American season with the Cuda). How? Last season was a rookie who needs more time to adjust to North American hockey and living in the U.S. (culture shock can be a (well you know)). His development will not need to be rushed. Askarov provides a starter for the Cuda now that they can win with if he is not on the Sharks to start the season. They can move one of the Sharks goalies at the trade deadline. They can play both and keep the one they think fits their needs the best and ship the other out at the trade deadline and get more assets or, if Asksarov is not ready in their opinion they can keep both and allow Askarov further development in the AHL. There are other reasons for flexibility but there are a couple. 5) He fits their rebuild timeline and can grow with their prospects like Celebrini, Smith, Shakir and Thrun (among others). This, in my opinion is crucial in a rebuild. Having players learn and grow together is a luxury most teams never get. The ones who do (Penguins and Blackhawks for example with Crosby, and company or Toews and company) usually have better results. With the relationship on the ice that Askarov needs to develop with the young and developing defensemen this is even more crucial. As to the player, I love the guy. I like his skill and his personality. I love his drive and competitiveness and his fortitude and will. He is aggressive and skilled enough to experiment and learn. He does things other prospect goalie do not do because they know they could never pull it off and normally he dies. He wins in every league he plays in. Yes, he can get a little over zealous but I want that in a prospect and a developing young player. He is a lion protecting his den. He moves fluidly and has gotten better with his glove. He has shown improvement each season in pro hockey. I do not want passive players on the Sharks. I want alpha males. He is the best prospect of his player type. He will have time to grow with the players that are in the Sharks organization or coming. The whole goalies are voodoo thing. Not sure this is true as to playing on the ice as it is for the mental aspects of the game. They are harder to predict but did anyone ever stop to think why? A goalie plays the entire game when they go in. They get no breaks. They do not play a shift. They play in ALL SITUATIONS. They play 5V5, the power play, the penalty kill, overtime, shootouts, etc. Other positions play in shifts. They get time to make adjustments on the bench with the coaches and watch video as well. Goalies? Nope. They can do that between periods or occasionally on a timeout. A goalie has to mentally tough and is on an island of his own. He communicates with the defense mainly and has to work with the defensive pairs he is provided. He faces the entire opposing team during a game. Whether it is uber talented players like MaDavid or Crosby or lesser talented players like Labanc. Other players are normally set against talent that is more to their level when the coaches have the luxury of doing so. This is important when developing players. Why do you think, even in the minors, players minutes are curtailed or the competition they play against is monitored and strategized for. It takes a stronger mental toughness to play goalie that goes beyond other players on the ice. He has to be the rock. He cannot allow a bad play get the best of him during a game because his shift does not end until the game is over. He does not get a break on the bench. Goalies are the last line of defense and they know it. I believe Askarov has the mental makeup to handle this and thanks to the development staff of Nashville is ready to play meaningful games in the NHL. He is more talent than any goalie the Sharks ever had in recent years and makes the immediate and long term future of the team brighter. He will allow GMMG now focus on getting the missing piece in the prospect pool. A top-pair RD. GMMG paid for this with a pick they just got. A prospect in a position that is deep. No player from the Sharks. No young player that will immediately contribute to the current Sharks or contribute to the Sharks in the near future. He gave up players in a position of redundancy. The goalie was redundant in the Cuda and the center was redundant in the prospect pool. This was a masterful move by GMMG who has had an offseason for the ages. It is exciting to be a Sharks fan now and will be even more exciting in the future.

[@voightkampffchamp]

Love it when you have another Lock On team on, especially after a huge trade. Trotz misplayed his hand and mismanaged his players so he didn't maximize Askarov’s trade value. He’s tried to trade him away since the 2023 draft, asking to move up into the top 5. When he signed Soros and Wedgwood he didn’t communicate the plan with Askarov’s camp so he left the Preds open to a trade demand. I don’t begrudge any employee asking for what they are worth. Being blocked to the NHL is worth millions to them. The Sharks got a steal.

[@tangofett4065]

Hopefully, it’ll work out for both sides. If Vegas has a bad season (as projected), the Preds will get a great number 1 pick.

[@StevenPalmer-cs5ix]

This trade should benefit both franchises. Nashville has lots of options with 3 first round picks: acquiring a player at the deadline; packaging to move further up in the draft; or making three picks in the first round. Chrona's development benefits from a longer timeline. The Sharks need a young goaltender to step up and play NHL games. Askarov will see plenty of rubber with either the Sharks or Barracuda.

[@johntran2252]

Preds are heading into a “win now” season and yet still have 3 first round draft picks. Sharks did an important task that can make or break a rebuild. I think both teams should be happy.

[@andrew78460]

SJ is one of the rare teams not to have a goalie under contract after next season besides Askarov now. This was his best landing spot by a mile.

[@CSXIV]

Wouldn’t be surprised if the Preds trade one or more of those picks for an impact player.

[@LockedOnSharks]

They have all the ammo

[@operasinger2126]

Great show and guests!

[@rocknroll368]

Patrick Roy would come far out of the crease to cut down the angle.

[@yanktalkinsmack4590]

Disagree with them saying he needs to grow up and handled the situation a little childishly. Preds sign a guy to a 8 year extension then bring in someone for 2 years after he has been an all star for 2 years in the AHL. He knows he is good and deserved more and knew that staying for even one more year was a waste of his time.

[@tangofett4065]

This was the last straw. This wasn’t his only sign of immaturity.

[@GrahamSlam]

I would push back a little bit on the narrative that he has maturity problems or 'chose the harder way' to the NHL. This is a top talent worldwide and it was made very clear to him that he did not have a future in Nashville after the organization elected to extend Saros instead. Furthermore, this narrative seems to be more common for Russian players for whatever reason. I think there might just be some cultural differences that a lot of people misinterpret as character flaws. After all, Askarov is far from the only Russian goalie to have a big personality. If anything, he should lean into that even more. He's done everything he can to this point in his career to prove that he deserves to be in the NHL, including his very limited sample size at the NHL level. His path to becoming an NHL starter is a lot clearer in San Jose so I do not blame him at all for going public with his trade request. Regardless, huge W for the Sharks. Can't wait to see Askarov shutdown the league in a few years.

[@tangofett4065]

As a Preds fan, he does have a maturity problem.

[@stevenvicijan4338]

Man, my quote " two (2) is always better than one (1) " applies to the tag team here.

[@progshark]

Whoa! This is a good move, but far from the last peace of the puzzle. Another top pair, hopefully right side, is very, very essential.

[@LockedOnSharks]

No one said it was the last piece, but it's a huge piece.

[@progshark]

​@@LockedOnSharks 33:56

[@sempcast]

"doormat of the NHL" lol, ouch... its true though!!! i love our prospect pool, i think Edstrom has sneaky upside but i'm rooting for Askarov ofc, like a PK Subban or an emotional person... you need to be careful of how you criticize them, empaths & emotionals lead with confidence and that's everything... sometimes you need to give them a hug instead of a kick in the butt!!!!

[@erikhalvorseth3950]

Askarov got his path to a potential nr 1 pos in goal. Good for him. Did he do it in an elegant way that might help him out in the future also? Definitely not. His talent is unquestionable. His flare on the ice when things work out will make the fans cheer. But Sharks need to handle a Ron Hextall kind of guy. Are they up to it? As a Pred I try to think in a positive manner. Both the Sharks guy and Emma/Ann were sugarcoating it a bit here- in the short term clearly Sharks look better. Ofc a guy like Celebrini is out of the q but you'd expect that Preds would get back more than a 1.pick that is even conditional. Sharks get to shuffle it with their own 1.pick for their profit, which is a little bit annoying. Notwithstanding Chrona and that other prospect. I guess Barry as was being said was trying to make the best out of the situation and get rid of a potential locker room problem. And you dont mess with Barry. What says, goes. He could handle a star-spangled Caps also, Ovi, Backstrøm etc. I also like the fact that it looks like MG and Barry can do business together. I like to follow those trendlines, always interesting. Some GM's get along better than others. Can be helpful in the future

[@martybraga4832]

They've never watched Chrona play.

[@shawn9366]

These gals love Magnus Chrona haha

[@voightkampffchamp]

Sour grapes do be like that. So long as they are satisfied enough

[@TheLilLeeroy]

Vegas was not a good team last year, and they got significantly worse this offseason (along with a year older). Trading that unprotected 1st for a goalie prospect is crazy.

[@LockedOnSharks]

Would you like a boat or a box?

[@kialbonetti1997]

@@LockedOnSharksA nice big Russian boat baby. Chances are the Knights won’t completely bottom out this season.

[@voightkampffchamp]

@@LockedOnSharks A more seaworthy boat that I can sail sooner too

[@TheLilLeeroy]

@@LockedOnSharks Guess we'll see. Just personally think two top 10 picks this season would guarantee the Sharks become contenders instead of a goalie prospect that struggles with the mental aspects of the game.

[@ryanbowlby859]

you dont make any sense. first of all, its protected, 2nd Askarov was the 11th pick in the draft 2 years and has proven his value in both seasons. Youd be drafting a prospect of some other kind with that pick that has proven less than askarov