The Sharks’ playoff hopes may come down to one simple question: can Yaroslav Askarov be steady enough to hold up a starting job?
When he’s dialed in, the San Jose netminder flashes the kind of talent that can make people picture him among the NHL’s best goalies. But that version of Askarov hasn’t shown up nearly often enough, and inconsistency has already become the defining issue in his young NHL run.
Last season was his first full year in the league, so the sample is still small. Even so, the warning signs were impossible to ignore.
Askarov had a brilliant November in the 2025-26 season, going 8-2-0 with a .944 save percentage and a 1.88 goals-against average. For a stretch, it looked like he had found another level and was ready to take a real step forward.
Then the wheels came off. His numbers slipped hard in December, and he never posted a monthly save percentage above .900 for the rest of the season. He ended the year with an .883 save percentage and a 3.63 goals-against average, marks that ranked fifth-worst and second-worst, respectively, among goalies who played at least 40 games in 2025-26.
The situation gets a little more complicated when you compare him with Alex Nedeljkovic, who played behind the same shaky defensive group. Nedeljkovic finished at -1.2 goals saved above expected and turned in more respectable save percentage numbers despite appearing in just seven fewer games than Askarov.
There is still room for Askarov to take a leap. His positive mentality could help him get there, and the Sharks do have Joshua Ravensbergen in the system as insurance if he never fully becomes the player they hoped for. But if San Jose is serious about pushing for a playoff spot in 2026-27, it needs more than flashes.
It needs Askarov to prove he can be a real starting goalie.
His game has already drawn a comparison to a younger Sergei Bobrovsky. Like Bobrovsky back then, Askarov can wander out of the crease at the wrong moments and make life harder than it needs to be. And like Bobrovsky, he also has the ability to take over a game when everything clicks.
The difference is that Bobrovsky’s career has also been defined by wild swings in performance, something Askarov will want to avoid. At 24, Bobrovsky was on the verge of his first NHL All-Star nod and his first Vezina Trophy. Whether Askarov follows that path this season is still an open question.
What the Sharks actually need is less glamorous than a Vezina winner. They just need a reliable starter in net.
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