Yaroslav Askarov was traded to the San Jose Sharks by the Nashville Predators on Friday and signed a two-year, $4 million contract ($2 million average annual value). The contract begins with the 2025-26 season.
“It’s a really big day for our franchise, I believe,” Sharks general manager Mike Grier said of acquiring the goalie. “… To have an opportunity to add him to our group is really exciting, and I think it kind of breathes some more positive energy into the group.”
Nashville acquired forward prospect David Edstrom, goalie prospect Magnus Chrona and a conditional first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft (previously acquired by San Jose from the Vegas Golden Knights). Should that pick be in the top 10, the Sharks will have the choice to transfer either their own first-round pick in the 2025 draft or the Golden Knights selection.
San Jose also acquired minor-league forward Nolan Burke and a third-round pick in the 2025 draft.
Askarov could have become a restricted free agent after this season.
"He’s in the fold, he’s all in, he’s excited to be here," Grier said.
Askarov was selected by Nashville with the No. 11 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. The 22-year-old is 1-1-0 with a 2.58 goals-against average and .914 save percentage in three games over two seasons with the Predators.
He was the top-rated European goalie in NHL Central Scouting's final rankings for the 2020 draft and became the third Russia-born goalie in NHL history to be chosen first at the position, joining Ilya Samsonov (Washington Capitals, No. 22, 2015 NHL Draft) and Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay Lightning, No. 19, 2012 NHL Draft).
“We’ve talked about him kind of off and on over the whole year, probably,” Grier said. “... He’s obviously a super-talented goalie, and there’s not too many opportunities where you have the chance to go after a young goalie like this and add him to your group.”
Grier said the Sharks are very confident Askarov can become a No. 1 goalie in the NHL because of his size (6-foot-3, 178 pounds) and athleticism, plus his ability to handle the puck and read the game.
"When you’re that size and you have the ability to anticipate and read plays and the athletic ability he has, I think it’s all about him just putting it all together," Grier said.
Askarov had requested a trade, according to NHL Network's Kevin Weekes. The Predators released a statement Monday from general manager Barry Trotz saying the expectation was for Askarov to report to training camp in September and compete for a job.
Trotz told The Tennessean on Friday that Nashville had private discussions with Askarov in recent weeks about trading him, and that once the trade request was made public it sped up the team's timeline for doing so.
"We talked about exploring some things, working together to see where this process would go through training camp," Trotz told the newspaper. "But once it became public, it pushed to a different place in terms of the decision time."
The Predators have three other goaltenders on their roster: No. 1 goalie Juuse Saros, Matt Murray and Scott Wedgewood.
Askarov is 56-29-6 with a 2.55 GAA, .911 save percentage and nine shutouts in 92 games over two seasons with Milwaukee of the American Hockey League. Askarov made history on Nov. 27, 2019, when he made his debut in the Kontinental Hockey League with SKA St. Petersburg at the age of 17, becoming the second-youngest goalie to start a game in KHL history (Ilya Sorokin, 2013).
The Sharks also have Mackenzie Blackwood, Georgi Romanov and Vitek Vanecek on their roster. Asked whether San Jose could start the season with three goalies if Askarov shows in training camp that he’s ready for the NHL, Grier said that scenario is “on the table.”
“I won’t rule it out,” he said. “I expect this to be a really competitive camp. … It’s a good opportunity for everyone to push themselves and get better, and for Yaroslav I think it’s also a good opportunity for him to watch and learn from some guys who’ve been successful and good goalies in ‘Blackie’ and Vitek.”
Burke, a 21-year-old center who signed a three-year, entry-level contract with Nashville on Nov. 14, 2022, had 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) in 47 games with Atlanta of the ECHL last season and played one game with Milwaukee of the AHL.
Edstrom, a 19-year-old forward selected by the Golden Knights with the No. 32 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, had 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) in 44 games with Frolunda of the Swedish Hockey League last season.
"I said I wanted to come out with a good center prospect," Trotz told The Tennessean. "I'm trying to build our center ice as much as we can."
Chrona, a 23-year-old goalie selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the fifth round (No. 152) of the 2018 NHL Draft, was 1-6-1 with a 4.71 GAA and .859 save percentage in nine games with the Sharks last season; he was also 6-17-6 with a 3.49 GAA and .894 save percentage in 31 games with San Jose of the AHL and 0-1-1 with a 2.94 GAA and .940 save percentage in two games with Wichita of the ECHL.
