Yaroslav Askarov is walking into a season that comes with real weight on it.
At 24, the San Jose Sharks goaltender is no longer just the big-name prospect with upside. He’s got one full NHL season behind him, a deeper crease around him, and a sharper set of expectations in front of him.
The upside has never been in doubt. Now the question is how often he can deliver it.
Askarov is listed at 6’3” and 180 pounds, catches right, and was drafted 11th overall by the Nashville Predators in 2020. He’ll be in San Jose for the 2026-27 season, and the organization has plenty invested in what he can become.
He was a first-round goalie, which is rare enough on its own, and he was moved to the Sharks for the approximate value of Tomas Hertl. That kind of pedigree brings attention.
It also brings pressure.
What makes Askarov so intriguing is the combination of tools and personality. His explosive movement in the crease stands out immediately, and so does the swagger he brings with it.
He’s the kind of goalie who can put on a show, which is part of what separates him from the more predictable, almost robotic look that so many modern NHL netminders carry. Even his gear reflects that flash.
There’s more to his game than style, though. His hockey intelligence is a major reason he’s gotten this far. The ability to learn, process, and read the game has helped him succeed, and it remains one of the strongest parts of his profile.
Still, the rough edges are there, and they matter. Technically, Askarov needs to clean up some of his movements.
He has so many ways to get around the crease that he can overdo it at times. With more experience, his reads and decisions should become more polished, but that kind of efficiency only comes with repetition.
He needs more starts to keep building that muscle memory.
Consistency is the other big piece. November 2025 was a monster month for him: in 10 games, he went 8-2-0 with a 1.88 GAA and .947 save percentage, and he stole plenty of wins.
But the rest of the season didn’t match that level. He still played well enough in stretches to keep earning ice time while San Jose pushed for a playoff spot, but the production wasn’t enough to carry the team beyond April.
That’s why this season feels so important. Askarov won 21 games for the Sharks last season, and the expectation here is that he can push toward 30. The ideal scenario is for him to seize the crease early, sometime before Thanksgiving, and handle heavy minutes the rest of the way.
He won’t have to do it alone. San Jose also has Alex Nedeljkovic, Eric Comrie and Ilya Samsonov in the goalie mix, and all three have had brief stretches of NHL success.
But none of them bring Askarov’s ceiling. Nedeljkovic, in particular, gave the Sharks plenty of solid nights last season even while the team struggled.
That depth gives the coaching staff options, and it should also give Askarov room to keep learning without being forced into carrying everything right away.
The Sharks have the chance to let his talent breathe. If they do, and if Askarov starts turning those tools into steady nights in net, this could be the season where he stops feeling like a project and starts looking like the answer.
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Nurses inclusion is a notable signal in its own right, especially in his first season with San Jose after serving as an alternate captain in Edmonton. The Sharks also split the alternate duties by venue, with Goodrow and Wennberg handling home games and Toffoli and Nurse taking the road, a setup that suggests the club wants leadership spread across different settings as Celebrini grows into his new role. [Read more 🡒]