A major trade proposal has just surfaced between the Canadiens and the Preds involving young goaltender Yaroslav Askarov

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Elias Edmonson
June 17, 2023 (9:14 PM)

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We are now just under two weeks away from the NHL Draft and if we are starting to have a small idea of what some organizations will do with their first-round pick, the picture for the Canadiens is a bit blurry.

Even if we may have some doubts about the identity of the player that Kent Hughes will choose, it remains that anything is possible, especially with the uncertainty surrounding young prospect Matvei Michkov.

What if the Habs traded the fifth overall pick?

This suggestion was reported by Cédrick Gervais, from the site Marqueur.com while Charles-Alexis Brisebois from the site Danslescoulisses.com suggests nothing less than a trade with the Nashville Predators.

Here it is:

To Montreal
Yaroslav Askarov and this year's 15th overall pick

To Nashville
This year's fifth overall pick

Okay, it's just one suggestion among many but it's still worth analyzing.

Considered one of the top goaltending prospects, Askarov is currently behind Juuse Saros at the Predators and he is still under contract until 2025.

He could prove to be the future goaltender for the Canadiens, should this transaction occur, and this is not the first time his name has been mentioned in various trade rumors.

And with the 15th overall pick, Kent Hughes could land a quality prospect due to the depth of this year's draft class.

Even though it is unlikely that this scenario will occur, we are still in uncertainty about the Canadiens' plans with the fifth overall pick and we might very well be surprised by the decision made by the organization in the first round.