Photo: Petr David Josek
There are beliefs Askarov is a TOP10 pick for the 2020 NHL Draft. And that is a really dare saying. When you have a pick in this range you have to select a great talent, the players are going to be a major asset for your future. And if you are picking a goalie there, he has to be extremely gifted a projected as a franchise goaltender.
Askarov is known for his quickness and swiftness but he is still 6-foot-3. A combination of these two aspects is pretty rare and that is the reason you should get excited. He delivered a gold medal from Hlinka Gretzky Cup for Russia as well as from the U17 World Challenge. As an under-age. He just struggled at the World juniors but he was still able to play up against men in KHL and VHL as a 17-years-old.
No doubt, he is the best goalie-prospect for this draft, probably before Drew Commeso or Joel Blomqvist. This year’s draft is extremely gifted on forwards so with that comes the question.
Where in this competition will Askarov be drafted?
Detroit Red Wings
Askarov can go on the boards as high as with the number 4 overall pick. At some point. Steve Yzerman is extremely erratic when we are talking about drafting young talents. Last year he surprised with Moritz Seider so why he wouldn’t do it again with Askarov?
Red Wings have a promising forward-group as well as some great young defenders. It is believed Yzerman is going to grab one of the Drysdale, Sanderson, Perfetti. Especially the last two guys would be kind of off the board.
But there is still a chance for Askarov being drafted to Detroit. Larsson, Petruzzelli, or Eliasson are young goaltenders who could end up in NHL at some level. But Askarov would completely change the whole Detroit’s goalie situation. He would be the number one goalie for the future and suddenly, from mediocre goalie-depth, the Red Wings would have one of the brightest futures in the goal-crease in the league.
Ottawa Senators
Yes, Detroit could take Askarov but taking goalie from 4th overall spot is… cheeky. And even though 5th is just one spot later, with second team-pick there is a much higher probability of grabbing Askarov.
Byfield or Stützle seems like the only choice for Ottawa with the 3rd pick. To say it better, it is more likely a LA’s choice. Ottawa’s second pick is second in the draft game and we can only speculate whom they are going to select. Raymond is the most common player but Askarov is also an option.
Gustavsson and Mandolese are solid goaltenders, Ottawa even decided to use second-round pick last year on Mads Søgaard. 6-foot-7 Danish goalie spent the last two seasons in WHL in Medicine Ice Tigers and produced solid numbers. But none of them are on the Askarov level of talent.
Most of the Sens fans and actually all of the hockey fans are excited to see the Byfield-Raymond combo in Ottawa if it is slightly possible. Can you imagine social networks if Raymond is available after 4th pick and the Senators pick Askarov? The world would be shaking.
Minnesota Wild
There is a strong belief Minnesota is targeting Anton Lundell. But when he is gone, there could be a course for Askarov. Wild gave one promising goaltender in Kaapo Kähkonen but he’s 24 and only got a shot in five NHL games. He is still young, yes, but the hockey world expected much faster development. And with that comes worries if he is really a franchise goalie. Is he?
If Askarov lands in Minnesota, it would give Kähkonen motivation to prove people wrong. But one day, as projected, Askarov will reach Kähkonen’s level and even pass him.
What is more, Wild general manager Bill Guerin said that improvements are needed at goalie. Did he mean by trade or is drafting a franchise goaltender enough?
Carolina Hurricanes
It is simpler with Carolina. This team needs improvement in the goal-crease. Askarov is a solution. Hurricanes can have a great Russian tandem Askarov-Kochetkov in couple years and if things go well, that is a much better goalie-double than Mrázek and Reimer.
Carolina owns pick number 13 and there is still a chance Askarov slips to them and Canes are the only “go-for-Askarov” team on this list of teams. Everyone wants Askarov in the red jersey, fans as well. Kochetkov is not going to be there much earlier, maybe Askarov is the number one arrival of these two, so he wouldn’t have any help in goal like Sorokin in New York Islanders with Varlamov.
It is not about that that Mrázek ruined this year’s hope in the playoffs, he played well, he even improved himself in save percentage from the regular season from .905 to .929. It is promising for the next season but everyone expects Askarov being the better future option.
Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton has a pick right after Carolina and they should have an option on their paper with Askarov being still available. And there comes a question. Who are the Oilers picking? Do they like Askarov more than a scoring winger for McDavid? They need both.
Again, Askarov would tremendously improve their goalie situation and it is kind of the same as in Carolina. A goalie tandem from Russia is an option. But one thing is different. Edmonton grabbed an over-aged goalie last year and he could be in North America earlier than Askarov. His name is Ilya Konovalov and he’s one of the best goaltenders in KHL. He’s number one goalie for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl three seasons in a row now and in his draft year, he was able to produce numbers like .930 save percentage and 1.89 goals per game.
He is doing bits but it seems like he doesn’t have Askarov’s potential. If he translates into North America well, he could be a solid number two option for his team and could really help Askarov in NHL in the future.
It is believed that Askarov is not going to slip away from TOP15 but if so, teams like Chicago Blackhawks and Calgary Flames should keep an eye on.