Predators goalie prospect Yaroslav Askarov on NHL: 'I'm ready.' But is NHL ready for him?

MILWAUKEE — Yaroslav Askarov tugged at the curled tips of his almost-filled-in handlebar mustache and pondered the question but for a split second.

Are you ready for the NHL?

The 21-year-old Nashville Predators goalie prospect, he of the 6-foot-3, 178-pound figure, leaned his right shoulder into a white cinderblock wall down the hall from the Milwaukee Admirals' locker room and smiled.

His matter-of-fact answer, coated in his thick Russian accent, followed.

"I'm ready," he said.

Askarov's grin had all but disappeared, a straight face in its place.

He doubled down.

"I'm ready," he repeated that early March Friday afternoon.

Askarov said he told the Predators he was ready before his second NHL appearance, which came in relief of Juuse Saros against the Carolina Hurricanes in late December.

He backed it up three days later when he stopped 27 of 29 shots in a shootout win against the Washington Capitals.

The better question, though, might be:

Is the NHL ready for Askarov?

Yaroslav Askarov on bench-pressing net: 'Someday I will do it'

Exhibit A: Askarov's now-famous bench press of the goal, the one the Admirals have immortalized as a resin figurine the team passed out to the first 2,500 fans March 9 at Panther Arena.

"Looks just like me," he said. "Best statue ever."

The idea of the "celly," or celebration, was born of an Instagram post and text message from a teammate.

Then-Admirals captain Cole Schneider sent Askarov a video of another goalie bench-pressing the goal after a victory last season, followed by some advice: "Never do it. Don't need it."

"I was like, 'All right, someday I will do it,' " Askarov said. "That's why I did it."

That someday turned out to be Feb. 10, 2023.

After the Admirals defeated the Rockford Ice Hogs 2-1 in a shootout, Askarov, who had stopped 45 of 46 shots, set his stick on top of the net, grabbed the crossbar with his left hand, yanked it iceward, lay on his back and began pumping iron.

That's Yaroslav Askarov.

Tell him he can't, and that's why he will.

Egor Afanasyev on Yaroslav Askarov: 'He is so good for the game'

On March 3, not even a month after his on-ice bench press, Askarov got into his first goalie fight, an encounter he welcomed with open and flailing arms.

Askarov and teammate and fellow Russian Egor Afanasyev both pointed to the progress the NFL and NBA have made in terms of allowing players to showcase their personalities.

"There's going to be people who hate it," Afanasyev said. "Fans love it. From a business standpoint, what brings money into the game? Fans. All the players want the game to grow but they don't want to put in the effort to change the game.

"He is so good for the game."

Askarov's actions sometimes are frowned upon by hockey's old guard. He said he has been told more than once he should tone down his act.

Thing is, it's no act.

"Just imagine if I've never seen hockey before, and it's my first game and someone scores and makes a (celebration) right after, I'm just like, 'Oh, who is this guy?' " he said. "I want to see it more. It's fun. It's not like you're showing disrespect for another team for a celly."

Askarov, the 11th overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft, said his intention is to not disrespect, and he welcomes an over-the-top celebration when someone scores against him.

What you see is who he is.

"It's just a show, you know? Fans love it," he said. "That's why hockey is not the same level as the NBA or the NFL, because of a different level of personality.

"I can be more (of) an electric guy. But in hockey, not a lot of guys love it, like old guys, like some GMs."

Scott Nichol on Yaroslav Askarov: '(Fans) are coming to see this kid play'

Askarov didn't name the old guys, but he said the Predators have been supportive.

Still, his points were clear: Yes, he has been encouraged and is willing to temper his temptations at times. No, he's not going to change who he is.

Admirals coach Karl Taylor and Predators assistant general manager Scott Nichol believe that insisting on anything dramatic likely would affect his performance.

"The world's changed drastically, and it's going to change every day we're alive," Taylor said. "If we're not adapting to that and being more welcoming to bigger personalities changing our views about things, that's a failure by whoever is not being open-minded."

"I think it's fantastic," Nichol said of Askarov's personality. "We don't want to take that over. That's who 'Yaro' is. It's very genuine. There's not a mean bone in his body. He's excited about getting wins. He's excited about getting shutouts. It's not predetermined; it's just his reaction.

"You want to harness that a little bit. But that's who he is. That's what makes him special. (Fans) are coming to see this kid play."

But is he ready for the NHL?

"I don't know," Taylor said. "Is he ready for more opportunity? For sure. I will say yes to that. Is he ready for full-time, No. 1 goalie status? I don't know.

"He's in a good spot. He's learning . . . He's probably at a spot where he's demanding more opportunity."

'He can be a franchise goalie'

Ready or not, Saros is still wearing a Nashville Predators uniform.

The franchise's goalie pedigree speaks for itself. Vezina Trophy winner and three-time All-Star Pekka Rinne and Saros, a two-time All-Star and Vezina finalist, are proof.

Will Askarov be the next big deal in Nashville? Is there enough room for him and Saros in Nashville?

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Will Saros be traded? Askarov?

Only time, and Predators general manager Barry Trotz, will tell. He has said he has listened to offers on both, and openly shopped Askarov while trying to land a top-five pick in last year's NHL draft. But he hasn't been wowed enough to move either.

Saros, who has a year and $5 million left on his contract after this season, is about to become a lot more expensive. He would bring back plenty of assets in a trade. Then again, Askarov would, too.

Saros will turn 29 on April 19. Askarov will be 22 on June 16.

"There's nothing to say we can't have the situation of Saros and Askarov," Trotz said before the season. "There's nothing wrong with that. You don't have to move one of them."

That said, the likelihood of them having the extended passing-of-the-goalie-torch that Saros and Rinne had seems low.

"It's Saros' time," Trotz said before the season. " 'Asky' is not at that level yet, but he may be. It would be amazing if he got to that level and even above."

The Predators aren't tipping their hand on future goalie plans, if they exist.

"He can be a franchise goalie. I say that without hesitation, too," Afanasyev said. "Skill is important, which he has. A lot of people say he has God-given talent. But most importantly, his mentality is there.

"If he was just talented without mentality, it would be questionable."

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'Someday when I'm in the NHL'

Yaroslav Askarov is unconventional in many senses of the word.

He's a daredevil with a plan when he ventures far from the crease to play pucks and make jaw-dropping saves.

He married when he was 19 years old, nine months after meeting her. His now-wife Alex was a dancer for the St. Petersburg SK team he played for in Russia.

He spotted her during a game. He didn't use the spoken word to say hello but instead let his fingers do the talking.

"I found her on Instagram and slid into her DMs," he said. "It's a different time now."

After a month of typing back and forth, they finally went on a date. She had been staying with him in Milwaukee but recently returned to Russia to finish school, leaving Askarov to clean the house and cook for himself. Salmon with rice is his go-to.

Askarov said of his goals the day he was drafted, through a translator: "Be the greatest Russian goalie. No. 1 in the NHL."

Without trying, he is a prototype of sorts when it comes to being different in hockey.

His wit is as quick as his goalie stick.

When informed that he had performed his goalie press on this reporter's birthday, Askarov responded with a laugh and without hesitation.

"Happy birthday, man," he said. "That's why I did it."

Always performing naturally. Always living in the moment.

That's Yaroslav Askarov, who also is adept at adapting.

"When I came into the U.S., I could just say, 'Hello' and 'How are you?' "

The answer, it turns out, is he's doing just fine.

The next stop for Askarov and his personality seems destined to be Nashville.

Will that change him?

"We'll see, man, because it's a new jam," he said. "We'll see. Someday when I'm in the NHL, we'll talk about it."

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville Predators goalie prospect Yaroslav Askarov doesn't plan to change