Milwaukee, WI— Predators General Manager Barry Trotz announced today that the team has acquired forward David Edstrom, goaltender Magnus Chrona and the Vegas Golden Knights’ first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft (conditional) from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for goaltender Yaroslav Askarov, forward Nolan Burke and Colorado’s third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
Edstrom recorded 19 points (7g-12a) in 44 games with Frölunda HC of the Swedish Hockey League last season, helping lead his team to the semifinals of the league postseason. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound center tied for first among SHL U-20 skaters in assists (12) during the 2023-24 campaign; he tied for fourth in points and had a share of the highest plus-minus (+12) among players his age or younger in the league. During the playoffs, Edstrom added six points (2g-4a) in 14 games as Frölunda fell to Skellefteå in the semis in seven games. Originally selected by Vegas in the first round (32nd overall) of the 2023 NHL Draft, Edstrom made his SHL debut in 2022-23, where he had four points (2g-2a) in 11 contests. A product of the Frölunda system, the Gothenburg, Sweden, native also spent time playing in the country’s U-20 and U-18 leagues, contributing at a point-per-game pace in 2022-23 on the junior circuit with 28 points (15g-13a) in 28 appearances. Internationally, Edstrom earned silver with Sweden at the 2024 World Junior Championship and 2023 U-18 World Championship.
Chrona played in the NHL, AHL and ECHL for the Sharks organization last season, appearing in a combined 42 games in net as a rookie. The bulk of his playing time came with San Jose of the AHL, where he went 6-17-6 with a 3.49 goals-against average and .894 save percentage in 31 games for the Barracuda. He made his NHL debut with San Jose on Nov. 4, 2023 vs. Pittsburgh and went on to play in eight more games for the Sharks, earning his first career win on March 9, 2024 vs. Ottawa. Prior to turning pro, the 6-foot-4, 194-pound goaltender enjoyed a four-year career at the University of Denver, earning numerous accolades, including back-to-back NCHC regular-season titles and being named the league’s Goaltender of the Year in 2022-23. Originally selected by Tampa Bay in the fifth round (152nd overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft, the Skellefteå, Sweden, native played his junior hockey for the Nacka and AIK systems before coming to North America.
Askarov helped lead the Admirals to back-to-back appearances in the Western Conference Finals, the first time in team history the club had advanced that far in consecutive seasons. He compiled a 56-29-6 record in 92 regular season games with Milwaukee, tallying a 2.55 goals against average, a .911 save percentage and nine shutouts. He is the only goal in franchise annuls to win 25 games for the Ads in each of his first two professional seasons and was selected to the AHL All-Star Classic in both campaigns. This past season he finished second in the league in wins (30) and shutouts (6) and was the AHL’s Goalie of the Month in January after going a perfect 8-0-0.
The Admirals kick off the 2024-25 season on Friday, October 11th in Grand Rapids against the Griffins before beginning their home schedule on Saturday, October 19th at 6 pm against the Rockford IceHogs at Panther Arena.
