One goaltending prospect the Blackhawks MUST make a late offseason trade for

The Chicago Blackhawks may have some promising netminders in their prospect pipeline, but if they want to acquire a youngster who could help them start winning sooner rather than later, there is one goaltender who could be going elsewhere: Yaroslav Askarov. 

Yes, I’m aware the Nashville Predators are in the same division as the Blackhawks, but it doesn’t mean we need to rule out a trade for Askarov. For one, if the Predators wanted Askarov to be their future, they wouldn’t have signed Juuse Saros to such a lucrative extension, so it means they would be willing to make a trade. 

Following what was an outstanding free agency period for the Hawks, one that brought in respectable names like Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen, Chicago could make an unconventional trade for Askarov. One that doesn’t necessarily involve players as much as it involves prospects who could be up-and-comers at a later date as those older names we saw arrive in Nashville start to phase out. 

Blackhawks are in a prime position to trade for Yaroslav Askarov

We saw Yaroslav Askarov play in a pair of games last season for Nashville, where he posted a 0.943 save percentage and a 1.47 GAA. But the real story was how good he looked for the Milwaukee Admirals, where he finished the regular season with a 0.911 save percentage, a 2.39 GAA, and an incredible six shutouts. 

As someone who just turned 22 in June, Askarov is still young enough to keep developing in the AHL, with Petr Mrazek and Laurent Brossoit holding everything down in the Windy City. That said, this would be a forward-thinking trade for both teams, as the Predators would inevitably need to get younger while the Blackhawks are still searching for that potential franchise goaltender. 

A trade like this would likely involve a high-end skater prospect plus an early-to-mid-round draft pick, but again, it’s for the future regarding both teams. One of those teams, the Blackhawks, has had its eye on the future for a while. The other team, the Predators, won’t have their current team in place long, considering their respective ages.  

Something to remember is that this hypothetical trade pertains to the late offseason, so the circumstances would inevitably be different should it occur during the season. For example, if the Preds are well into contention mode, they would most likely be looking for a player to trade for in a package involving Askarov as opposed to prospects, no matter how high-end. 

(Statistics powered by Elite Prospects)