30 days until the season opener…

Chris Mason: 1999 – 2013 (Left), Carter Hutton: 2014 – 2016 (Top Right), Yaroslav Askarov: 2023 – 2024 (Bottom Right).

Chris Mason was drafted 122nd overall by the New Jersey Devils in 1995. He made 146 appearances, starting 51 of those, recording 59 wins with a .910 and a 2.68 GAA. For newer fans you know him as the color analyst on Bally Sports alongside Willy Daunic. He played for Nashville on 3 separate occasions: 1999 – 2002, 2003 – 2008, and one more in the 2012 – 2013 season. During the 2004 – 2005 lockout he would play for Vålerenga Ishockey in Norway to help them win their 25th league championship and was hailed as the top goalie in the league. He would also play Ritten-Renon in Italy for their 2013 – 2014 season and the Augsburgur Panther in Germany for the 2014 – 2015 season. He would announce his retirement on September 21st, 2015 and immediately joined the Nashville Predators Radio Network as a color commentator.

Carter Hutton went undrafted and wouldn't see the NHL until the age of 27 when he debuted in 1 game for the Chicago Blackhawks during the 2012 – 2013 season. On July 5th, 2013 he would sign a one-year, two-way deal with the Nashville Predators. In 75 appearances, 66 starts, with the Preds, Hutton would win 33 games with a .910 SV% and 2.55 GAA. In his final year, he was Nashville's nominee for the Bill Masterson Memorial Trophy.

Yaroslav Askarov was drafted 11th overall by the Nashville Predators in 2020. He only played 3 games, starting 2, and would register 1 win with a .914 SV% and a 2.58 GAA. I don't really know what to say about the trade and I've seen both sides of the argument, but regardless I believe it's too soon to analyze the situation. I'm hoping that he does well and if he does, I will be pretty upset that another prospect has been dished out, but I will say at least he wasn't lost for nothing like Tolvanen. What's done is done and hopefully what was done was the right move for the organization moving forward.