Barry Trotz takes a shot at Yaroslav Askarov after trading him away

Following the extension of goaltender Juuse Saros in Nashville, it was seemingly only a matter of time until the Predators moved on from one of their top prospects, 22-year old Yaroslav Askarov, who has played in three NHL games over the past two years, and on Friday, it became official.

It was the rising San Jose Sharks that made the deal, adding to their incredible young core led by Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith, and while the reasoning behind it with Saros as the starter was obvious, General Manager Barry Trotz has now elaborated more on the trade.

According to Trotz, Askarov had some on-ice antics that the team saw as a negative, and after Saros extended, these antics contributed to the need to move the 22-year old. with Nashville getting former Vegas Golden Knights first-round pick David Edstrom and Vegas' first-round pick in 2025 in return. Ultimately, the move was a long-time coming for a Predators team seemingly going all-in ahead of the 2024/25 season, but after Trotz's comments, it may be something to keep an eye on for San Jose moving forward.