Nashville Predators sign top goalie prospect Iaroslav Askarov

Chris Peters
Chris Peters
Nashville Predators sign top goalie prospect Iaroslav Askarov

The Nashville Predators already have Vezina Trophy finalist Juuse Saros as their starting goaltender goaltender for the foreseeable future, but their pipeline in net looks pretty bright as well. Iaroslav Askarov, the highest-drafted Russian goaltender in NHL history, has signed his three-year entry-level contract with Nashville Monday. Selected 11th overall in 2020, Askarov has spent the last four seasons in the SKA St. Petersburg system.

Askarov’s post-draft path has been a little uneven as he has not been able to play very many games due to a logjam at the position with SKA. He appeared in just 18 total games last season between the KHL side and SKA’s farm team SKA-Neva, which plays in Russia’s second division, the VHL. That game total includes three playoff contests in which he went 2-1 with a .937 save percentage to finish the season strong.

The right-catching goaltender gained much of his notoriety through his play at the international level, backstopping Russia to a Hlinka-Gretzky Cup title with a .960 save percentage in 2019. The season before, he helped Russia get a silver medal at the U18 World Championship, falling just one goal short of a gold medal. In that tournament, he put the team on his back to upset the U.S. in a shootout in the semifinals. During that shootout, he stopped five top-15 draft picks, including Jack Hughes, Cole Caufield, Trevor Zegras, Alex Turcotte and Matt Boldy, to outduel Spencer Knight. In his draft season, Askarov also played a significant number of games in the VHL, posting a .920 save percentage.

Over the last two seasons, he has played at various levels including the KHL, VHL and MHL – Russia’s U20 circuit. The lack of consistent playing time and an apparent lack of interest in his development from SKA has certainly led to some concerns over his sagging play this last season.

Before the World Juniors was cancelled, Askarov was yanked in a 6-3 loss to Sweden after allowing three goals on 16 shots. He never got a chance to make up for it and won’t as Russia is now banned from international competition including the rescheduled World Juniors in which it had originally competed. That would have been his third trip to the World Juniors in his young career, but those records will be scrubbed when the tournament resumes this summer.

Askarov’s KHL deal expired at the end of April, which allowed the Predators to sign him. The NHL has no formal transfer agreement with the KHL and has ceased all business contact with that league due to the ongoing conflict and Russian aggression in Ukraine. NHL teams have been instructed to ensure all players do not have active contracts with KHL teams before signing them.

The geopolitical issues with Russia have led to a lot of uncertainty when it comes to getting players out of Russia and securing visas for them. Askarov had actually signed a tryout deal with the Preds’ AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, earlier this month. He joined the team and was able to practice with them, but he has not appeared in any games with the club as they remain active in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Milwaukee is the most likely destination for the 20-year-old to start his North American pro career next season, too. He can likely be the No. 1 goalie or at least split time in Milwaukee while getting the necessary reps to prepare for his NHL career. Connor Ingram, who spent most of his season in the AHL, showed late this season and in the playoffs that he should be ready to be a No. 2 for Saros, opening the door for more playing time for Askarov at the AHL level.

The Preds have good depth at the goaltending position with Ingram under contract for another season before becoming a restricted free agent. They also have Tomas Vomacka under contract for another year. With Askarov in the mix, their depth chart can start to take shape.

Additionally, with Saros locked up through the 2024-25 season at a very reasonable $5-million AAV, there is no need to rush Askarov. He can develop at his own pace while playing more games than he has in the last two years combined, probably, and get back to his top form.

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