San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier continued his summer trades, using some of the capital he’s invested in San Jose’s talent pool over the past few years to get a player who could potentially be the franchise’s goalie for years to come. On Friday, GMMG used the two pieces he received in the Tomas Hertl trade and traded them to the Nashville Predators for goalie prospect Yaroslav Askarov. Yes, the deal was a little more complicated, but that’s the TLDR breakdown.

This was a risky but lucrative transfer because prospects, especially goaltenders, are very volatile. A goaltender can look like a superstar one season and fade into obscurity the next. Development is a difficult thing, and Askarov still has more development to do before he becomes an elite NHL goaltender, which many experts say is his maximum.

Despite the risk, Askarov is by far THE BEST young goalie the Sharks have had in a long time. We go back to the days of Evgeni Nabokov and Mikka Kiprusoff in Sharks hockey.

Grier immediately signed Askarov to a two-year contract worth $2 million AAV. He also spoke with the player and let him know there was a path to the NHL. While Askarov may be with the San Jose Barracuda this fall, he is expected to get more than a handful of NHL starts over the next two years. That was not guaranteed in Nashville.

So what did the Sharks give up?

David Edstrom was selected in the first round of the 2023 draft by the Vegas Golden Knights. He was part of the spring trade that brought the Knights Hertl. Edstrom was projected as a middle-six center for the Sharks, especially after the signing of Macklin Celebrini. With Will Smith, Filip Bystedt, William Eklund and Thomas Bordeleau all capable of playing the center role, especially at the middle-six level, the Sharks were happy with the Edstrom trade.

San Jose also traded the 2025 first-round pick it received from Vegas in the Hertl trade, along with some safeguards. If Vegas fails in 2025 and gets a top-ten pick, the Sharks can choose which first-round pick they send to Nashville – Vegas’ or San Jose’s. Even if the team loses a first-round pick, it has some control over which one it loses.

In an ideal world, Vegas will still be competitive next season and the pick will be in the bottom half of the draft.

The big deal, at least from this fan’s perspective, is the loss of goaltending talent Magnus Chrona. It would have been nice to give up all of the forward talent, as the Sharks were deep in that regard; losing Chrona, who looked like he could develop into a serviceable, if not great, NHL goalie, stings a little. He was only 23, so he still had time to improve his game. It feels like that part of the trade hurt more than selling Edstrom.

What did the Sharks get in return?

Askarov is the big piece of this deal and we’ll talk about him in a moment, but there were a few other pieces as well.

The Sharks received a 2025 third-round pick as part of the deal. The pick originally belonged to the Colorado Avalanche, so we expect him to land in the mid-to-late third round.

And then there’s Nolan Burke, a 21-year-old forward who is in the third year of his entry-level contract. Burke played just one game in the AHL last season and spent most of his time with the Atlanta Gladiators of the ECHL. He recorded 15 points in 47 games with the Gladiators.

He played with the Sarnia Sting in the OHL in the 2022-23 season, where he scored 82 points in 56 games. He is expected to be at least a starter with the Barracuda, so it will be interesting to see if he takes a leap forward in his development or if he has peaked at the ECHL level. It’s hard to say if it was a down year or an indication of what kind of player Burke will become.

What do the Sharks get from Askarov?

Now for the big part of the deal, Askarov. The Sharks get a potential franchise goalie whose timeline aligns with the newly drafted Celebrini, plus other talent like Quentin Musty, Will Smith, Sam Dickinson, Shakir Mukhamadullin… well, you get the idea. If the stars align for the Sharks, things are looking pretty good in Sharks territory in a few years.

In his ranking of the most promising goalkeepers, Scott Wheeler of The Athletic placed Askarov second behind Jesper Wallstedt.

“Askarov has some top-notch skills and genuine No. 1 talent and remains one of the most promising players at his position in the sport,” Wheeler wrote in July. “His raw talent has always set him apart. His ability to change direction in the net, stay one step ahead of shooters, track their hands and make quick-reaction saves is top-notch. His athleticism is also top-notch. He regularly makes saves on second and third chances and stays in position even when he’s down on the ice.”

Jesse Granger, colleague of The Athletic, believes that there are no limits for the young goalkeeper.

“I believe the Sharks are getting a potential future top-5 goalie in the entire NHL in Askarov. With his incredible athleticism, precise edgework and quick reactions, I believe Askarov’s potential matches Vezina’s qualities,” Granger wrote. “He is quick laterally and always seems balanced and anchored to the ice no matter how quickly the play shifts from one side to the other. He is a fiery fighter, which should help the Sharks’ rebuilt defense.”

Jason Bukala of Sportsnet said after the transfer: “Askarov gives shooters in the crease a different look. He’s a 6’4″ athletic goalie who catches with his right hand. That sounds like a small thing, but most NHL shooters are used to staring at left-handed goalies.”

Of course, Askarov has his problems too. Wheeler pointed out in his goalie rankings that Askarov’s movement can be a problem and NHL players are much better able to take advantage of it. Still, Wheeler writes that there is a lot of good to be said about Askarov’s game.

“There are still moments where he freezes over his catching hand, which NHL teams will exploit, but he has made important strides in catching pucks. He can look nervous in goal as he hops on his toes and moves toward the puck (which he said is to help him focus and make some of those quick saves I talked about),” Wheeler wrote. “But his agility and touch are so impressive that at his best he can steal games and make the difficult saves that others just can’t pull off or sustain. There is no junior goalie in the world with faster feet on the shuffle or more side-to-side or bottom-to-top explosiveness than Askarov. That blend of power and speed combined with his long history of success at a young age gives him great potential.”

Diploma

Grier made a deal that many other general managers couldn’t or wouldn’t make. What he paid won’t hurt the Sharks in the long run and will make the team significantly better in the near future.

Well done, Grier.