Rumors tie the New Jersey Devils to the best goalie in the NHL Draft.
As the saying goes, “when there’s smoke, there’s fire.” There is a ton of smoke around the New Jersey Devils and Russian goalie Yaroslav Askarov. Lot’s of national pundits, including noted Devils’ fan and ESPN reporter Greg Wyshynski, along with one of the most connected reporters in the game Elliotte Freidman, have heard that Askarov and the Devils are a match with the seventh-overall pick.
It’s not a very popular pick among New Jersey Devils fans. Names like Lucas Raymond, Marco Rossi, Jamie Drysdale, and Alexander Holtz are the most popular names available at the pick. Askarov would undoubtedly be a slight reach, but it’s also clear he wouldn’t be available when the Devils pick again at 18. So, if they want Askarov, it probably needs to be at seven.
The issue here is the talent level that’s going to be available. Raymond might be the third-best player in the draft, but he’s falling because the Detroit Red Wings are likely going to take Cole Perfetti and the Ottawa Senators might do something weird at five since they are getting either Quinton Byfield or Tim Stutzle at three. Even if the Ducks take Raymond, that leaves at the very least Rossi and Holtz at the Devils’ disposal.
With names like that on the board, the Devils taking a goalie that could take two or three years to come to the NHL would hurt. Devils fans are currently holding on to hope and hope only. It’s been two straight years of terrible play on the ice. Jack Hughes was supposed to bring hope last season, but he struggled mightily and only brought more pain. Other draft prospects like Michael McLeod and Ty Smith failed to be regulars on the team despite being 1st-round picks. The Devils need hope now. A player that’s only a year away would give them that. Askarov would not.
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However, Devils fans need to prepare for the very real possibility that Askarov is the pick. In the long run, maybe it is the right pick. He’s being called the best goalie prospect since Carey Price. Here’s the thing about that; nobody really wants Carey Price right now at his massive price. Goalies are having a shorter and shorter shelf life.
Look at Jonathan Quick, Sergei Bobrovski, Corey Crawford, and Braden Holtby. Things completely fall off once one injury or loss of skill throws things off the rails. Hell, look at Cory Schneider. The Devils have a clear-cut example as to what happens to goalies. Schneider is 34, and he’s close to done. He hasn’t had a quality season since he was 29. This is the life of a goalie. One day, it is just over.
The Devils have to ask themselves if Askarov would be the kind of upgrade over Mackenzie Blackwood that a player like Holtz or Raymond would be over a player like Joey Anderson. An Askarov-Blackwood goalie combo would be salivating, but how long could the Devils afford to keep both? Sure, the Stanley Cup Champions used a 1st-round pick on Andrei Vasilevskiy, but Anton Khudobin took the Dallas Stars to the Stanley Cup Final. Jordan Binnington won the Stanley Cup last season. Semyon Varlimov came in and took the Islanders further than they went last year after moving on from a Vezina Trophy candidate. Point being, goalies can be found.
One more thing, remember that there is always a reason for smoke. Is this the Devils inside people tipping their hat to who the Devils might take, or is there a strategy for this leak? Maybe this is just to test the waters on how some would react to this pick. It might be a way to lessen the blow when they take Jake Sanderson. It’s possible the Devils want another team to jump ahead of them and take Askarov so there are more prospects available to them.