Juuse Saros, the veteran goaltender, is about to sign an eight-year contract extension with the Nashville Predators worth $7.74 million. Now that it's all but certain, goalie for the Milwaukee Admirals and potential future star Yaroslav Askarov has shared a mysterious message on Instagram stories that may indicate he's prepared to move on and wants Nashville to help arrange a transfer so he can carry on with his career somewhere else.
Born in Omsk, Russia, Askarov, 22, was selected eleventh overall in the 2020 National Hockey League Entry Draft. It was thought that he would be the Predators' goalie of the future, similar to Saros and Pekka Rinne, as well as others who came before them and eventually made a name for themselves, if on a much lesser scale. However, given that Askarov will play in the American Hockey League for at least one more season, things seem to be very different in this case.
But when it comes to where he wants to play, Askarov ought to be in charge of at least some of his destiny. This feels a little strange because, even if he is buried among the minors in North America, he may eventually have options at his disposal if he so chooses, particularly in Russia. However, that's just how professional hockey is.
A player like this doesn't come along very often, so the Predators would be wise to hold onto him for a king's ransom. Several teams could use his skills right now, putting him directly into an NHL roster space.
