On the New Jersey Devils' interest in Yaroslav Askarov

A lot of teams pursued Askarov. The Devils were among them, according to Elliotte Friedman.

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The Nashville Predators obliged Yaroslav Askarov’s trade request late last week, pulling the trigger on a deal with the San Jose Sharks.

The Sharks put together a strong package, parting with David Edstrom and Vegas’ top-10 protected 1st (2025) in exchange for one of the better goaltending prospects in the sport.

Based on the quality given up, it should come as no surprise there was a ton of league-wide interest in Askarov.

The New Jersey Devils were one of many teams in the mix, according to Elliotte Friedman.

22. There was a ton of interest in Yaroslav Askarov: Colorado, Montreal, New Jersey, Utah and, of course, San Jose, which got him. (Probably more.) 

I am not the least bit surprised Tom Fitzgerald sniffed around on Askarov. Considering the goaltending issues the Devils have had over the last few years, I think he’d be happy to invest any and all resources necessary to solidify the position for the long haul.

That being said, the interest in getting an Askarov deal done was likely one-sided.

Outside of Anton Silayev – who the Devils are very enamored with – and Seamus Casey, the Devils don’t have much in the way of U20 impact prospects nearing NHL-readiness. They also don’t have a 1st round pick in 2025.

Given they understandably don’t want to take away pieces from their current roster, I’m not sure there’s a match between the Devils and Predators.

I also don’t think Askarov would’ve been happy landing in New Jersey. He wants to play in the NHL immediately – and ideally a prominent role.

With Jacob Markstrom, the NHL’s leader in high-danger save percentage last year, under contract for two more years, Askarov wouldn’t be getting much NHL action in the near future.