Buy me a coffee?
The Nashville Predators have finally traded their top goaltending prospect, Yaroslav Askarov, to the San Jose Sharks this past week. Selected 11th overall by the Predators in the 2020 NHL Draft, the 6-foot-4, 22-year-old goalie had informed the team that he would not be reporting to camp this fall. After spending two seasons in the AHL, he requested a trade. Shortly after the deal, the Sharks announced they had signed Askarov to a two-year contract worth $2 million per season.
On July 1st, the Predators had extended their number-one goaltender, Juuse Saros, for eight more years, starting in the 2025-26 season. This contract, valued at $61.92 million, carries a significant cap hit of $7.74 million per season. It’s clear that Askarov saw no future in Nashville following Saros’ long-term extension.
Canadiens in the mix
But why discuss a trade that doesn’t directly involve Montreal? After acquiring Patrik Laine, Canadiens’ general manager Kent Hughes was apparently not finished making moves. According to reputable NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman, the Canadiens and the New Jersey Devils were the other two teams that attempted to acquire Askarov.
This news came as a surprise to many Canadiens fans, considering the team has Samuel Montembeault and young Cayden Primeau slated as their goaltending duo for the 2024-25 season. Personally, I question Montembeault’s capabilities as a starter in the NHL, and Primeau had limited playing time last year, mainly due to the team carrying three goaltenders for most of the season until veteran Jake Allen was eventually traded—ironically, to the Devils.
While the Canadiens have decent goaltending depth in their pipeline, most prospects seem a few years away from making a significant impact at the NHL level. Jakub Dobes, 23, will begin his second season with the Laval Rocket, but he experienced ups and downs adapting to professional play. Despite their success at their current levels, prospects like Emmett Crouteau (20), Jacob Fowler (19), Quentin Miller (19), Yevgeni Volokhin (19), and Mikus Vecvanags (18) all show potential, but none are close to being NHL-ready, let alone capable of becoming NHL starters.
Still looking?
Given the circumstances, it’s intriguing to see that the Canadiens’ management might share my concerns about the team’s goaltending situation.
The Montembeault/Primeau tandem could suffice for a rebuilding team. With a quality veteran defense, they might even provide enough solid goaltending to push for a playoff spot. However, the Canadiens’ current lineup includes only two veteran defensemen—Mike Matheson and David Savard. As the team’s young defensemen learn the NHL ropes, they will make many mistakes and neither Montembeault nor Primeau seems capable of compensating for their mistakes, as someone like Carey Price could, for example.
The somewhat surprising addition of Laine suggests that management wants the team to start winning more games, perhaps even challenging for a playoff spot. So, the question remains—are they still looking to upgrade their goaltending? While every fan will have an opinion on this topic, largely based on their perception of Montembeault, only those involved in the decision-making truly know what the future holds or, at the very least, their motive and expectations.
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