NHL.com’s pre-draft ‘At the Rink’ podcast links Askarov to Wings

From NHL.com:

Alexis Lafreniere’s potential to be an immediate player and the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, reasons why center Quinton Byfield should be the No. 2 pick and a look at why goalie Iaroslav Askarov is so highly regarded were among the topics discussed on the new episode of the NHL @TheRink podcast.

The podcast, recorded Friday, previewed the 2020 NHL Draft and featured co-hosts Dan Rosen and Shawn P. Roarke joined by special guest Adam Kimelman, NHL.com deputy managing editor and co-host of the NHL Draft Class podcast.

Kimelman said he thinks the New York Rangers, who hold the No. 1 pick, will get a player in Lafreniere, a left wing with Rimouski of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, who potentially could score 50 points next season.

He also said he thinks the Los Angeles Kings should take Byfield, a forward with Sudbuy of the Ontario Hockey League, with the No. 2 pick and the Ottawa Senators should take Germany-born forward Tim Stuetzle at No. 3. Stuetzle plays for Mannheim in Germnay’s top professional league.

While unlikely, Kimelman said he wouldn’t be surprised if Askarov, who has started his 2020-21 season with SKA St. Petersburg in the Kontinenal Hockey League, went as high as the No. 4 pick to the Detroit Red Wings. He thinks the Russia-born goalie can be a top-10 pick.

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George Malik

My name is George Malik, and I'm the Malik Report's editor/blogger/poster. I have been blogging about the Red Wings since 2006, when MLive hired me to work their SlapShots blog, and I joined Kukla's Korner in 2011 as The Malik Report. I'm starting The Malik Report as a stand-alone site, hoping that having my readers fund the website is indeed the way to go to build a better community and create better content.