Nashville Predators general manager Barry Trotz said talks intensified after reports surfaced about Yaroslav Askarov’s transfer request.

The young goalie was traded to the San Jose Sharks on Friday, four days after ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reported that Askarov wanted to leave Nashville and would not join AHL Milwaukee if he did not make it out of training camp with the Predators.

“When he asked about the trade offer, privately, he said he would be a good soldier and all that,” Trotz said, according to Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean. “Then he came out publicly and said he wasn’t very interested in it.”

Despite initially denying the rumors, Askarov eventually traded to San Jose in exchange for David Edstrom, Magnus Chrona and a conditional first-round pick for 2025.

“We talked about exploring some things and working together to see where that process would go in training camp,” Trotz said. “But when it became public, it shifted the decision timing in a different direction.”

Trotz continued: “If you don’t hand him over then, there’s always going to be noise. We have a really good vibe from what we did last year. I didn’t want anything to happen that sucks the air out of that.”

The Predators made the playoffs last season with a second-half surge, then made a big splash by signing Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei. Nashville also signed starting goalie Juuse Saros to an eight-year contract extension, prompting several teams around the league to inquire about Askarov’s availability.

Trotz noted that there were four other teams that had “serious chances” of a spot in the Askarov sweepstakes before the deal with the Sharks was finalized.