Sharks Acquire Yaroslav Askarov From Predators – Hockey Writers – NHL News

The San Jose Sharks emerged as the winner of the Yaroslav Askarov sweepstakes, acquiring a young netminder from the Nashville Predators who will be David Edstrom, a 2025 first-round pick of the Vegas Golden Knights (top-10 protected), and -Magnus Chrona. The Sharks also received Nolan Burke and a 2025 third-round pick.

Sharks Make a Splash

The Sharks are already well-planned for the future. Since taking office on July 4, 2022, as the official general manager (GM) in San Jose, Mike Grier has acquired Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, Quentin Musty, Igor Chernyshov, Filip Bystedt, Sam Dickinson, Luca Cagnoni, Shakir Mukhamadullin, and now Askarov. All 22 years of age or less, this core can be special people.

Coming to Askarov specifically, he had back-to-back campaigns with a .911 save percentage (SV%) in the American Hockey League (AHL), contributing to his status as one of the game’s most promising young players. He is accustomed to significant playing time, appearing in 95 contests since 2022-23 in both the AHL and NHL combined.

The only real caution with Askarov at this point is how he adjusts to the full NHL. He was stuck in the AHL because of Juuse Saros’ status as a top netminder in Nashville. The recent eight-year extension in the offseason led to this whole situation in the first place—Askarov never had a path to becoming an NHL starter. In San Jose, that should become a reality in 2024-25.

The Sharks scored a salary-season-worst 82 points (47) last season, so going for a rebuild isn’t right now. It will be a process, but there is a lot of potential here for individuals and groups.

Carnivores Gain Potential Trade Assets

After signing Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei in the 2024 offseason, it’s no secret that the Predators’ goal is to win quickly. These veterans could age badly as time goes on, so the view is that Nashville is a contender trying to win its first Stanley Cup in the next few seasons. They weren’t using Askarov anyway, so Chrono is a respectable place in the pipeline.

However, the real meat here comes with Edstrom and the first round pick. The Sharks basically traded Tomas Hertl for these assets, so that kind of sets the market here. An excellent forward or defenseman could be acquired for the Predators to kick their contending season into high gear. That may end up being necessary to compete with the best Western Conference teams like the Edmonton Oilers, Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche, and Vancouver Canucks in the playoffs.

Nashville already has a great roster, but that next step can be taken here. While it’s always possible they keep Edstrom, a forward, and a first-round pick, it seems like the opposite. Right now, they may be looking to bolster the system perhaps at the trade deadline.

It’s still a long way to win or lose here, but the Sharks used this team with a goaltender who wanted a bigger chance. Considering these circumstances, however, GM Barry Trotz and the Predators didn’t do a bad job.