Elliotte Friedman, as he so often does, broke this news ahead of everyone: Top goalie prospect Yaroslav Askarov, blocked by Juuse Saros and wanted out of the Nashville Predators organization rather than spending further time in the American Hockey League, has been traded to the San Jose Sharks.

With Askarov signed for one additional season and an RFA next summer, Nashville still had decent leverage in trade talks although the public nature of the situation did reduce of the trade value in all likelihood.

In addition to Askarov, the Sharks received 21-year-old minor league forward Nolan Burke and a 2025 third-round pick. The Predators received forward prospect David Edstrom (picked 32nd overall in 2023), the Vegas Golden Knights' 2025 first-round selection and 23-year-old goalie prospect Magnus Chrona.

Note: The 2025 first-round pick is top-10 protected in next year's lottery. In the seemingly unlikely event that the Vegas pick lands in the top 10 next year, the Sharks have the option of sending either their own pick or the VGK pick. Not much chance of the Vegas pick landing earlier in the first round that San Jose's own, but it's a contingency if things somehow play out that way.

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