Anytime a player becomes available via free agency or a trade, fans of all teams mention how great it would be to acquire said player. That is what has happened with the recent news of Yaroslav Askarov reportedly requesting a trade.
It was Kevin Weekes who dropped the bomb early this morning on Askarov telling the Predators that he will not be reporting to the AHL and has asked for a trade. Nashville has since replied and stated that they expect Askarov to come to training camp and fight for a job. Sound familiar?
This news has fans of various teams piping in on how their team should look at acquiring Askarov. For Flyers fans, they are no different. It has created numerous discussions on whether the move would make sense for Philadelphia.
Spoiler alert, it doesn't.
Yaroslav Askarov makes no sense for the Flyers to acquire
Askarov's desires make it clear that he wants to be an NHL goaltender. With Juuse Saros locked up for eight years, playing time may come at a premium. Saros has appeared in nearly 70 games during each of the last three seasons, topping out at 67 in 2021-22. That leaves about 10 or so games for whomever the backup may be. It's not nothing, but for a player aspiring to be a starter, it doesn't leave much room.
With that, Askarov has spent the majority of the last two seasons in the AHL. He has appeared in three NHL games over those two years. His numbers from last season are sharp, posting a 1.47 GAA and a .943 SV%. But that was only two games. The better sample size is the 44 games he played for Milwaukee, which don't scream high-end goaltender at this time. Askarov had a 2.39 GAA and a .911 SV%. He did improve on the former number from his first season, but the second is identical.
Nashville took a huge chance, drafting him 11th overall in 2020. It's extremely rare to see a goaltender go that high. He had decent numbers in the KHL and VHL, but it was still a big risk to take him that high. Askarov proved them right, putting up strong numbers during the rest of his time in Russia.
Now in North America, Askarov wants to be at the top level. That is not news, all players want to be in the NHL. And the move could make sense for numerous teams looking for a goaltender. But the Flyers are not one of them.
Despite Ersson's slide at the end of last season, the Flyers believe in his potential. And it may be partly their fault that he burned out. Without stable goaltending behind him, Ersson was forced to play even when he was struggling. It was also risky to put another unproven goaltender in when Philadelphia was barely holding on to a playoff spot. Thus Ersson had to work through things that ended up not working out.
As for Ivan Fedotov, the Flyers worked hard to bring him to North America in the first place. He has appeared in three NHL games and while the numbers aren't good, it's not fair to blame it all on him. There wasn't much time for him to settle in at that stage of the season. Philadelphia was already in freefall mode when he came over. He had to break in new equipment and adjust to a completely new league in a short period.
After signing an extension earlier this offseason, the Flyers are not going to give up on Fedotov this soon. The team is likely to be more careful in burning out Ersson so Fedotov should get plenty of playing time throughout the season. They will be able to judge him more fairly after a full season of work.
The plan is not going to change for Philadelphia. Ersson and Fedotov will be their goaltending duo heading into next season barring injuries or things outside of their control. Askarov could turn out to be a star goaltender, but with only three NHL games to his name, there is no guarantee either. The move simply doesn't make sense for the Flyers.