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Yaroslav Askarov

Atlantic Notes: Swayman, Sabres Goaltending, Canadiens

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The Bruins have yet to re-sign goaltender Jeremy Swayman after both sides opted to pass on a repeat of last year’s arbitration process.  While some fans are concerned that a deal isn’t done yet, the same can’t be said for team president Cam Neely.  In an interview with WZLX (audio link), Neely indicated that he’s confident an agreement will be reached soon:

Not every negotiation is as smooth as you’d like it. I know our fan base would certainly love to have something done by now. But I’m fully confident that both sides will come to an agreement before too long here.

Swayman has been one of the top goalies statistically over the last two seasons, playing to a 2.41 GAA and a .918 SV% over that stretch in 81 appearances.  Now that his platoon partner Linus Ullmark is in Ottawa, Swayman is the undisputed starter and is quite likely seeking a salary commensurate with that despite his single-season benchmark for games played being just 44.  The Bruins have a little over $8.6MM in cap space, per PuckPedia, which should be plenty to keep Swayman in the fold.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News examines how the Sabres aren’t taking the normal development path when it comes to goaltender Devon Levi. Generally speaking, netminders are developed at a more gradual pace with many seeing 100 or more AHL appearances before becoming a full-time NHLer.  However, Buffalo tried to bring Levi directly to the NHL from college before opting for a brief stint with AHL Rochester partway through last season.  Even after adding James Reimer in free agency, it appears that Levi is expected to be Buffalo’s second goalie behind Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, meaning they will be attempting the rarer development path for him once again.
  • The Canadiens were among the teams considered as a possible landing spot for Yaroslav Askarov, relays Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). Montreal’s goalie tandem for the upcoming season appears to be set with Sam Montembeault’s new three-year deal beginning while Cayden Primeau is expected to get his first full NHL opportunity as the backup so it’s unclear if Askarov would have been given much of an NHL look in the short term.  In the end, the top goalie prospect was moved to San Jose on Friday.

Sharks Notes: Askarov, Vanecek, Benning, Couture, Tryouts

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Earlier today, San Jose picked up what they hope will be their goalie of the future, acquiring Yaroslav Askarov from Nashville.  At the time of his trade request, the belief was that the netminder wasn’t interested in remaining in the AHL for the upcoming season.

However, GM Mike Grier indicated to reporters today including Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News (Twitter link) that after speaking with the 22-year-old, they don’t have any concerns about potentially sending him to the AHL Barracuda if necessary.  Askarov, who also inked a two-year, $4MM extension today, has played in 92 games in the minors over the last two seasons, posting a 2.55 GAA and a .911 SV%.  If San Jose wants to avoid having him play extended time behind what’s expected to once again be a weak back end, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him spend at least a bit of time in the minors.

More notes from San Jose via Pashelka:

  • One of the reasons why Askarov might need to spend some time in the minors is that goaltender Vitek Vanecek is expected to be ready to take part in training camp next month. San Jose acquired the 28-year-old at the trade deadline but he missed the final two months of the season with a lower-body injury.  Vanecek and Mackenzie Blackwood are the returning veterans and with price tags of $3.4MM and $2.35MM respectively, it’s unlikely that there’s a trade market for either netminder at the moment.
  • Speaking of injured players expected to be ready for training camp, Grier indicated that defenseman Matt Benning should be good to go next month. The 30-year-old was limited to just 14 appearances last season due to a hip injury that he had surgery for back in January.  He should battle for a spot on the third pairing in training camp.
  • While Logan Couture has ramped up his training, Grier noted that the veteran has yet to start skating yet. He was originally expected to skate in August but the team has a plan for his continued progression towards a return.  Couture missed all but six games last season due to a groin issue known as osteitis pubis and clearly, he still has some work to do in order to be cleared for the upcoming season.
  • When asked about the possibility of dipping into the PTO market in the coming weeks, Grier stated that they “will have to see” on that front. San Jose has been busy over the offseason adding veteran depth to the roster so between that and several key prospects looking to make the jump to a full-time NHL spot, there might not be room to bring in someone on a tryout deal.

San Jose Sharks Acquire, Extend Yaroslav Askarov

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The Nashville Predators’ number one goaltending prospect seems to have gotten his wish for a move outside of the Predators organization as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman is reporting that the San Jose Sharks are close to acquiring Yaroslav Askarov. According to a press release from Nashville, the Sharks will acquire Askarov, forward Nolan Burke, and Colorado’s third-round pick of the 2025 NHL Draft while sending away forward David Edstrom, goalie Magnus Chrona, and Vegas’ first-round pick in 2025.

It’s a major get for a rebuilding Sharks organization that was missing a true impact talent between the pipes. Over the past few years, San Jose has built up a nice young core of Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, Sam Dickinson, Filip Bystedt, and Shakir Mukhamadullin but has since failed to procure a long-term goaltender. With Askarov now in the fold, the Sharks have a 22-year-old goalie who has done nothing but dominate in the American Hockey League over the last two years.

With his entry-level contract set to expire at the end of the 2024-25 campaign, the Sharks moved quickly on an extension for Askarov with his agent Dan Milstein announcing a two-year deal for the young goaltender. Shortly thereafter PuckPedia relayed that Askarov will earn a $1.7MM salary with a $200K signing bonus in 2025-26 and a $2.1MM salary in 2026-27 with an AAV of $2M.

Askarov’s rise to stardom didn’t happen overnight. He was ranked as the highest available European goaltender in the 2020 NHL Draft leading to him being the first one taken off the board with the 11th overall pick by the Predators. In his draft year, Askarov suited up in 18 games for the VHL’s SKA-Neva St. Petersburg where he produced a 12-3-3 record along with a .920 save percentage and 2.45 goals-against average.

The young Russian netminder spent a few more years playing in Russia’s junior league before signing his entry-level contract with Nashville in 2022 and joining the organization for the 2022-23 season. In his rookie season with the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL, Askarov put up a 26-16-5 record in 48 contests coupled with a .911 SV% and 2.69 GAA which immediately put him on the map as a legitimate high-end goaltending prospect.

Askarov gave the Predators a decision to make. Over nearly the last two decades, Nashville has had the privilege of high-end goaltending with the organization seamlessly transferring from Pekka Rinne to Juuse Saros. The Predators quickly began receiving trade calls for both Askarov and Saros before signing Saros to an eight-year extension earlier this summer.

Despite the trade chatter, Askarov dominated in the AHL once again this past season with a 30-13-1 record in 44 games with a duplicated save percentage. Despite another year of solid play between the pipes, the Predators signed goalie Scott Wedgewood to serve as Saros’ backup next year, leading to Askarov requesting a trade from the organization.

He may not get the starting minutes right away with the Sharks as the team already deploys Mackenzie Blackwood and Vitek Vanecek as their current options. Given the current competitive status of the team, however, Askarov will have every opportunity to earn the starting minutes down the stretch and could even be the Sharks undisputed starter by season’s end.

Heading back to Nashville is a nearly identical package that the Sharks received for forward Tomas Hertl at this past year’s trade deadline. Edstrom was originally drafted with the 32nd overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft by the Vegas Golden Knights and has been working his way through the SHL with Frölunda HC on loan. The young two-way center brings solid awareness to both sides of the puck and should be a decent middle-six option for the Predators down the road.

Chrona will likely be deployed as a serviceable third-string goaltender for Nashville with a majority of his starts coming with the team’s AHL affiliate in Milwaukee. The University of Denver alum helped the Pioneers to their ninth National Championship in program history during the 2022 Frozen Four tournament. He finished his senior year with a 22-9-0 record in 31 games. Chrona signed with the Sharks as a collegiate free agent and made his debut with the team last year toward the end of the season where he collected one win in nine games on the heels of a .859 SV%.

The first-round pick, also acquired by San Jose in the Hertl trade, will be top-10 protected according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. If the draft choice were to fall in the top 10 of the 2025 NHL Draft, the Sharks would have the option of sending their pick or Vegas’ to Nashville.

Although Edstrom has decent upside as a forward prospect, he may not necessarily have the prospect pedigree that Nashville was originally looking for in exchange for Askarov to start the summer. However, the team still got much better in free agency with the acquisitions of Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei and now have three first-round picks for the 2025 NHL Draft.

Poll: Which Team Will Trade For Yaroslav Askarov?

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The top goaltending prospect of the Nashville Predators, Yaroslav Askarov, made waves around the NHL a few days ago as he publicly requested a trade out of the Predators’ organization. Askarov and his agent assert that if he is not moved by the end of training camp and is sent down to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, he will not report.

Askarov has seen his name come up in trade chatter a few times over the last two summers, primarily at the NHL draft, with the Predators attempting to acquire a top-five selection. No general manager was willing to meet the asking price of general manager Barry Trotz, so Askarov stayed with the organization at the AHL level, where he put up monster performances. Now that Nashville has committed to Juuse Saros on the heels of an eight-year, $61.92MM extension and also signed Scott Wedgewood to serve as the team’s backup for the 2024-25 campaign, Askarov is looking for an opportunity elsewhere.

The most immediate team that comes to mind is the San Jose Sharks, who are rebuilding their organization from the ground up but have very little in the way of goaltending prospects. By acquiring Askarov from the Predators, San Jose could cut bait with Mackenzie Blackwood or Vitek Vanecek at any point during the regular season, assuming Askarov develops into a starting goaltender. A little over a week ago the assistant general manager of the Sharks, Joe Will, detailed that San Jose is still looking for a third-string goaltender on the younger side.

Another team in a similar position to the Sharks lies 2,000 miles inland in Chicago. The Blackhawks are only a year removed from selecting with the first overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft and are also looking to bring their organization back to contention. As much as Chicago would want to complete their prospect pool with Askarov, the Predators won’t be quick to help out a divisional rival. The Blackhawks would likely have to pay a higher premium than most teams if they hoped to acquire Askarov and may look for their goaltender of the future down the road.

Unlike San Jose and Chicago, one surprise candidate for Askarov may come from Sin City. The Vegas Golden Knights have always had a fair for the dramatics and with both of their netminders headed for unrestricted free agency next offseason, the Golden Knights may look for a cheaper option. As one of the more cap-strapped teams in the NHL, the aggressive addition of Askarov would give the Golden Knights a cost-controlled netminder for the next several years, with the team able to invest in other areas of the roster. Unfortunately, without a first-round pick until the 2027 NHL Draft, Vegas may not have the resources to acquire the young netminder.

Although Askarov publicly requested a trade out of Nashville, the team is in no rush to trade him. Since the Predators could theoretically hold onto him for the next several years, the public nature of the trade request should not hamper his trade value on the market. There will be several teams looking to poach Askarov from the Predators, but if recent history has taught us anything, Trotz will get his money’s worth in any trade.

Canucks Testing Goalie Market Amid Thatcher Demko’s Injury

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The Canucks are on the hunt for some short-term goalie help on the trade and UFA market, CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal said on Sportsnet 650 Tuesday. That’s because star starter Thatcher Demko is healing slower than expected from the knee injury he sustained early in their first-round series against the Predators and still isn’t 100%, per Dhaliwal.

Dhaliwal said it’s unclear if Demko has undergone surgery to address the knee injury, and Vancouver has been concerned about the pace of his rehab as far back as the draft in June.

This storyline comes after information about Demko’s return timeline varied wildly throughout the postseason. Multiple reports stated he’d only be out for one series, while others said he would be shut down for the season. The team never officially ruled him out, instead continuously listing him as week-to-week, but he never did return to the lineup after recording a win in Game 1 against the Predators.

The Canucks were also rumored to be sniffing around for a veteran name to supplement their crease and provide competition for emerging youngster Arturs Silovs around the draft and free agency, but that never came to fruition. Last year’s No. 2 option, Casey DeSmith, wasn’t brought back and signed a three-year deal with the Stars. Vancouver’s only notable offseason addition between the pipes was former Golden Knights prospect Jiri Patera, who’s meant as a No. 3/4 option behind Silovs.

Those rumblings will get louder now with Demko’s status uncertain. The most clear-cut addition for the Canucks would be Kevin Lankinen, the top goalie left on the UFA market. His time as a Predator ended at the hands of Vancouver last season, and he remains unsigned after Nashville opted to sign Scott Wedgewood to replace him as Juuse Saros’ backup. The 29-year-old Finn was an above-average backup during his two years in Tennessee but was sparsely used, posting a 20-14-1 record and .912 SV% in 35 starts and eight relief appearances. Still, he’d be a cheap pickup, certainly not more than the $2MM he made last year after waiting for this late into August to sign.

Some other notable veteran UFA options include Martin Jones and Antti Raanta, but both are significantly older than Lankinen and have a much higher potential for age-related regression. Jones is coming off a resurgent year as the third-stringer for the Maple Leafs, but Raanta’s typically strong but injury-plagued play collapsed last season with a .872 SV% in 24 games for the Hurricanes.

On the trade market, funnily enough, Nashville might be one of their first calls. Top goaltending prospect Yaroslav Askarov has reportedly submitted a trade request to the club, but it’s a situation that could potentially be resolved if they decided to flip Scott Wedgewood, who signed a two-year, $3MM contract with the club on July 1st. He’s spent the last three seasons in the Dallas Stars organization, though he sat out much of the 2021-22 campaign. Wedgewood has played in 53 games over the two seasons since, posting 15 wins and a collective .907 save percentage behind Jake Oettinger. He’s poised to fill the same role in Nashville – ceding a majority of starts to a proven starter and limiting Askarov’s chance at the NHL ice time he’s searching for. With Nashville facing a formal trade request from one of the league’s top goalie prospects, the Canucks could benefit from timing, and reel in another hardy backup to help fill time before Demko’s return – a situation akin to the Tampa Bay Lightning’s platooning while Andrei Vasilevskiy missed time last season.

The Canucks may be able to offer that upside in the short-term, but it’ll be hard to move too far from Demko, who’s risen to prominency as he’s taken over Vancouver’s top role. That growth peaked this season, with Demko ranking second in Vezina Trophy after posting a .918 through 51 appearances. He’s signed at a $5MM cap hit through the next two seasons and is likely to hang onto Vancouver’s starting crease through any new additions. That strings out a tight-rope the Canucks will need to walk, as they make the decision between a lofty goalie trade, a free agent signing, or leaning on unproven backups.

Yaroslav Askarov Requests Trade From Predators

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10:34 a.m.: Trotz issued a statement on Askarov’s reported request (via John Glennon of the Nashville Post):

We are aware of the report today and our expectation is for the player to report to training camp and compete for a job in September.

8:21 a.m.: Predators goaltender Yaroslav Askarov has requested a trade, according to Kevin Weekes of ESPN. As per Weekes, Askarov has also informed the team that he won’t report to their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, if he remains with the team at the end of training camp and is sent to the minors.

Askarov has been a sought-after trade candidate for the past few seasons as a top-10 prospect at his position without a clear path to a starting role in Nashville. They’ve already used him as trade bait twice, putting him in play to acquire a top-five pick at the 2023 and 2024 drafts. Askarov is one year away from restricted free agency and is entering the final season of his entry-level contract at a $925K cap hit. He remains waiver-exempt for this season and next.

The 22-year-old has been in North America for two seasons, during which he’s put together a pair of All-Star campaigns for the Admirals. He made over 40 appearances each year, a heavy workload for the minor leagues, and posted a combined 2.55 GAA, .911 SV%, nine shutouts, and a 56-29-6 record in 92 games.

After being picked 11th overall by the Predators in 2020, Askarov has only made two NHL starts and one relief appearance since coming over from his native Russia. He had a tough showing in his debut in 2022-23 but rebounded with solid numbers in limited action last year, totaling a .914 SV% across 140 minutes of play across the two campaigns.

But Askarov’s path to the starter’s crease in Nashville evaporated when the Preds signed Juuse Saros to an eight-year, $61.92MM extension on July 1. There was still a chance he’d crack the team out of camp for the first time in 2024-25 as Saros’ backup, but that also went away after Nashville inked veteran Scott Wedgewood to a two-year deal a few hours later.

While the trade request is a significant development, it’s not surprising. Askarov’s agent, Gold Star Hockey’s Dan Milstein, said in an interview last month that he was “working with the club on different options” regarding his future and that Askarov feels he’s established himself as an NHL-ready talent. The Preds’ moves this offseason also firmly state general manager Barry Trotz’s intentions to exit rebuild mode, signing three of the top names on the UFA market in Jonathan Marchessault, Brady Skjei and Steven Stamkos.

When Nashville shopped Askarov in the past, the Canadiens consistently came up as his most likely destination. But reporting indicated it was Nashville putting Askarov in play to land the No. 5 pick both times, not the Habs displaying interest in prying him away. Montreal has Sam Montembeault and Cayden Primeau signed to one-way contracts this season, so if Askarov ends up in Montreal, he may have to wait for a roster spot until Primeau reaches restricted free agency next summer unless the Habs make a corresponding trade.

Even with his draft pedigree and strong development track so far, Askarov’s limited NHL action makes it unlikely that any team will take a chance on him as their starter as soon as this fall. Thus, look for teams with expandability and uncertainty at the backup position to insert themselves into trade talks. The Lightning, a frequent trade partner for Nashville in recent years, would likely want an upgrade on Jonas Johansson and his career .880 SV%, far below the league average. Whether they have the assets to acquire him is entirely different. At the draft, Trotz preferred to land an established NHLer or a similarly touted prospect in return, but that was before his free-agent spending spree.

But Askarov, who’s still five years from being eligible for unrestricted free agency, has little say in where he ends up without trade protection. However, given his six-figure AAV, there likely won’t be any trades extinguished by a lack of cap space on behalf of the acquiring club.

Latest On Yaroslav Askarov

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Since he was drafted 11th overall in 2020, it had been widely expected that Yaroslav Askarov would eventually become the long-term goalie for the Predators.  However, the eight-year, $61.92MM contract extension they handed Juuse Saros earlier this week that runs through the 2033-34 campaign immediately called Askarov’s future with the franchise in question.

In a recent interview with Championat’s Pavel Panyshev, Askarov’s agent Dan Milstein further clouded Askarov’s future with Nashville, stating that he’s working with the club on different options when it comes to the young netminder and that he has proven that he’s an NHL player.

That last part is a bit difficult to agree with considering that Askarov has all of three career NHL appearances under his belt.  While he has fared well in those games with a 2.58 GAA and a .914 SV%, it’s still too small of a definitive sample size to draw any meaningful conclusions from.

Having said that, the 22-year-old had a strong sophomore year at the AHL level, showing he’s progressing well toward becoming the impactful NHL netminder many expect him to be.  Askarov played in 44 games with Milwaukee last season, matching the .911 SV% from his rookie campaign while shaving 30 points off his GAA, bringing it down to 2.39, ranking him fifth league-wide among qualifying netminders.

Askarov remains waiver-exempt for the next two seasons so this is something that, in theory, GM Barry Trotz could simply punt on for the time being, thereby keeping the netminder in the top role with the Admirals.  That timeframe coincides with the length of contract handed to veteran Scott Wedgewood who was brought in as part of their July 1st spending spree so, in theory, Askarov would then move into the second-string role for the 2026-27 campaign.

But Milstein’s comments suggest that they have a different idea in mind, one that will get his client to a regular NHL role much sooner than that.  This isn’t the first time Askarov has been in trade speculation as it was widely reported that he was in play at the 2023 draft in an effort to move up in the first round but no suitable trade came to fruition.

If Trotz does opt to once again look into an Askarov trade, he will have some challenges.  The team is pretty much capped out as a result of their offseason movement so far; they’re at a point where they might be trying to save a few bucks to have a shot at carrying more than a minimum-sized roster.  That will limit them to trading for future assets, either draft picks or prospects.  Speculatively, with the moves they’ve made so far, the latter might be their preferred option, getting someone around Askarov’s age who is close to being NHL-ready and could be called upon when injuries strike.

The moment Saros agreed to his max-term extension, the long-term future of Askarov with the Predators was called into question.  Based on what his agent is suggesting, it might be fair to wonder about his short-term future with them as well.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Morning Notes: Askarov, Tanev, Laine

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Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet is reporting that the Nashville Predators have told teams interested in goaltending prospect Yaroslav Askarov that they would like to get a current NHLer back in a trade or another highly touted forward or defensive prospect.

The 22-year-old Askarov appeared to be the Predators goaltender of the future, but with Juuse Saros expected to sign a long-term extension in Nashville, Askarov will not have a path to a starter job in the NHL until he is in his 30s. Given his pedigree as an 11th overall pick and his solid AHL numbers, Askarov figures to be an NHL goalie sooner than later, but it appears likely that it will happen in a different market than Nashville.

In other morning notes:

  • Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet is guessing that the Toronto Maple Leafs will look to sign recently acquired defenseman Chris Tanev to a six-year, $24MM contract extension. Toronto acquired Tanev’s rights yesterday and early reports indicated that they could offer a deal of five to eight years in length. The 34-year-old Tanev wasn’t likely to sign in Dallas and the team elected to get something for him rather than letting him walk for free. Toronto has long sought after a defenseman like Tanev, and now that they’ve jumped the line to negotiate with him, they are expected to get a deal done.
  • Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic write that the Minnesota Wild have had talks with the Columbus Blue Jackets about potentially acquiring scorer Patrik Laine. The 26-year-old Laine hasn’t been the goal-scorer he was when he broke into the league with the Winnipeg Jets back in 2016-17 but hasn’t had much support in Columbus and was limited to just 18 games last season. A change of scenery could be just what Laine needs as he tries to get his career back on track. The Wild struggled to score last season and with limited cap space, they will be looking for bounce-back seasons from several current players. Acquiring Laine might provide a safety net for Minnesota if they aren’t able to get depth scoring from their current roster of players.

LeBrun’s Latest: Guentzel, Skjei, Stamkos, Kane, Marchessault, Askarov

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The 2024 NHL Draft is mere hours away, but this year’s compressed schedule means we also only have three days until the opening of the UFA market. That means for most of the usual insiders, there’s a lot of reporting tidbits coming out on the fly. That was the case today for Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic, who has more than a few notable updates about some of the top pending UFAs and some ripple effects of this week’s moves:

  • While things have seemingly been trending in the wrong direction between the Hurricanes and trade deadline pickup Jake Guentzel for weeks, LeBrun writes the Hurricanes have upped their offer in a last-minute bid to retain his services. Their last pitch comes in at around $64MM total on an eight-year deal, working out to an $8MM cap hit. That’s close to what Guentzel’s camp was asking for at the beginning of negotiations with Carolina, LeBrun writes, but with his name still available this close to going to market, there are likely other teams willing to offer more annually. It is worth pointing out that the Hurricanes still hold an advantage by having the ability to offer him an eighth year of term, allowing them to sign him for the same amount of total cash for a slightly lower cap hit. A seven-year, $9MM AAV deal that he’s rumored to be able to land on the open market would leave him $1MM short of the total compensation he’d get from Carolina.
  • There’s still “a chance for Carolina” to retain defenseman Brady Skjei, who checks in as the top left-shot option available should he remain unsigned come Monday. But it still appears unlikely at this stage, especially considering he could command in the $7MM AAV range on the open market. LeBrun expects the Predators to be one of the most aggressive teams in pursuit of Skjei should he not ink a new deal with the Canes.
  • Following up on a statement from Steven Stamkos’ agent earlier today that the longtime Lightning captain projects to hit the open market, LeBrun said Tampa GM Julien BriseBois is trying to make his tight cap situation work by offering Stamkos a low-AAV deal at the maximum eight-year term. He speculates they’ve offered him a deal with a $3MM cap hit, working out to a total value of $24MM. On a four-year deal, something the 34-year-old is much more likely to land on the open market, that would be twice the cost against the cap ($6MM annually). It’s something BriseBois has tried and failed to do before, with LeBrun confirming that was his strategy to attempt to keep winger Alex Killorn from departing in free agency last year. He ended up rejecting an eight-year, $20MM deal ($2.5MM cap hit) from Tampa to sign a four-year, $25MM deal ($6.25MM AAV) with the Ducks.
  • If Patrick Kane moves on from the Red Wings next week, don’t expect him to travel very far. LeBrun reports the future Hall-of-Famer’s preference is to stick in the Eastern Conference as he signs what could be the final contract of his career.
  • The Golden Knights remain hard at work trying to retain 2023 Conn Smythe winner Jonathan Marchessault, but they’re not on the verge of an extension, his agent Pat Brisson told LeBrun. Vegas has around $6.2MM in projected cap space with Robin Lehner on long-term injured reserve, which they’d likely use all of on a Marchessault extension. More moves are needed for financial flexibility, and LeBrun reports Marchessault is “readying himself for the realistic possibility that he might have to move on.“
  • Lastly, Predators top goalie prospect Yaroslav Askarov is all but officially on the trade block with yesterday’s report that Juuse Saros is nearing an eight-year extension to stay in Smashville. There’s still a strong chance Askarov remains with Nashville last season and enters his first full-time NHL campaign as Saros’ backup, but LeBrun reports the Preds are leveraging him to try and move into the top five of tonight’s draft. It’s not the first time they’ve done this – we wrote the exact same piece last year about the Preds trying to send him to the Canadiens to acquire the fifth-overall pick. Montreal holds the same selection this year.

Morning Notes: Senators, Sweden U20, AHL Prospects

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The Ottawa Senators are making sure they won’t be outdone on the trade market, now making the seventh-overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft available for the right price, per Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen. During an event held for season ticket holders to hear about the team’s off-season plans, Senators’ senior vice president Dave Poulin shared, “We had interest in the (No. 7) pick. Teams will call you and say, ‘Are you interested in moving the pick?’ and you don’t know what that’s going to look like because you don’t know what’s going to be available there. You have to stay very flexible.”

Including the seventh-overall pick in trade talks will bring the Senators more in line with the New Jersey Devils, who began shopping around the 10th-overall pick during the NHL Combine. The two teams headline a long list of teams interested in bringing in new goaltending talent this summer, and should be among the top options for trade bait like Linus Ullmark, Juuse Saros, and John Gibson. Dave Poulin made sure to emphasize Ottawa’s pursuit of a goaltender when speaking with Garrioch, adding that the team wasn’t happy with their goaltending tandem “numerically, statistically, or from an analytics standpoint.” The Senators’ tandem of Joonas Korpisalo and Anton Forsberg combined for a .890 save percentage this season – though their consistency in the lineup allowed Ottawa to rely on just three goalies this season, the fewest they’ve needed to get through a year since the 2019-20 season. But despite good health, the Senators goalies didn’t stand up to the task this year, and the team is once again doomed to spending the summer finding the right option in net.

But despite the interest elsewhere, it doesn’t seem Ottawa is ready to part with Korpisalo just yet. When asked, Poulin offered relief to Korpisalo’s down year, speaking to the difficulty in adjusting to a new team and the lack of defensive stops in front of him, relative to what he had with the Los Angeles Kings. Korpisalo just concluded the first season of a five-year, $20MM contract signed with the Senators last summer. He’ll be the team’s de facto backup should they bring in a new starter, and likely their go-to starter should things stay the same. The off-season event for season ticket holders where this information was conveyed is slated to be a yearly event for the Senators.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Team Sweden has announced the coaching staff that will oversee their U19 and U20 international teams next season. The group is manned by Magnus Hävelid, who has coached Sweden’s international juniors teams since 2017. He’ll be flanked by Gereon Dahlgren, and former NHL defenders Robin Jonsson and Nicklas Grossmann. Both Dahlgren and Jonsson are returning to their posts, while this news marks Grossman’s first time coaching an international squad. The quartet will lead Sweden’s lineups at the World Junior Summer Showcase and World Junior Championship, as well as in team friendlies.
  • The AHL has announced their All-Prospect team, as voted on by the league’s hockey operations department and general managers. The team includes AHL Rookie of the Year Logan Stankoven (DAL), as well as Shane Wright (SEA), Jiri Kulich (BUF), Simon Edvinsson (DET), Brandt Clarke (LAK), and Yaroslav Askarov (NSH). Each player appeared in NHL games this season, though Stankoven has become the first to carve out a daily role – recording 22 points across his first 43 NHL games, combined between the regular season and playoffs. His All-Prospect team peers will look to catch up to him with daily lineup spots next season.

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