Burning Questions For the 2025-26 Season: Yaroslav Askarov

With the 2025-26 season now in sight, the plan is to address the burning questions surrounding every player on the roster (or competing for a roster spot). These questions are focused on how the player is expected to contribute to the Sharks this season and what their role will be.

Yaroslav Askarov
6'3" 179lbs
23 years old
2020 1st round pick

Last Season

San Jose Barracuda (AHL)
22 games, 2.45 GAA, .923 sv%, 4 shutouts

San Jose Sharks (NHL)
13 games, 3.10 GAA, .896 sv%, 0 shutouts

Askarov split his time between the Sharks and the Barracuda, thanks in part to a freak accident that caused Vitek Vanecek to miss 6 weeks. The plan was to have Askarov play the majority of the season with the San Jose Barracuda and help put the team over the top. Askarov was stellar for the Barracuda and even better in the playoffs, where he posted a 1.63 GAA, .935 sv%, and a shutout in six playoff games.

During his time with the San Jose Sharks, he showed flashes of brilliance, and why Sharks fans should be excited about the future with Askarov in net. While Askarov will give fans grey hairs with how he plays the puck, he is generally very good at it and works out for him more times than not.

Burning Question

Can Askarov stabilize the net?

Askarov is going into the season as the 1A with Alex Nedeljkovic as the 1B. The San Jose Sharks paid a small ransom to pry Askarov away from the Nashville Predators last offseason with a 2025 1st round pick (Ryker Lee), former 1st round pick David Edstrom, and goalie Magnus Chrona.

Askarov has shown that he can be a number-one goalie in the league with his play, but he needs to stay healthy. He battled through injuries that cost him time in training camp as well as nearly two months of the season. The Sharks lack the depth in net to overcome a long-term Askarov injury. Nedeljkovic has been able to carry the load at times in his career, but newcomer Jakub Skarek has a whopping two NHL games under his belt.

Expecations

Other than Blackwood before his trade last season, the San Jose Sharks have not had a qualifying goalie (1o starts) finish with a save% over .900 since the 2021-22 season. Askarov needs to break that trend for San Jose next season.

Realistically, Askarov should be a league-average goalie this season. While that may not sound exciting for a former first-round pick, that would be a massive improvement for the Sharks, especially in the post-Blackwood era. If Askarov can establish himself as average in his first full season, next year could see him leap into the upper echelon of goalies in the league.

Don't be surprised if the Sharks are very even with the split early in the season between Askarov and Nedeljkovic as they ramp Askarov up for a full NHL season. Look no further than the Calgary Flames and Dustin Wolf. Wolf split his time with Dan Vladar early in the year and took complete control of the crease as the season wore on.

While the Sharks won't be in playoff contention, the hope is that Askarov can claim his throne as the long-term Sharks goalie and get them ready for what should be a more competitive 2026-27 season in San Jose.