Sharks Add More To The NHL's Best Prospect Pool With Askarov Trade
With the addition of Yaroslav Askarov, the San Jose Sharks added a top goaltending prospect to their already-loaded prospect pool.
Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports - Sharks Add More To The NHL's Best Prospect Pool With Askarov TradeWith the addition of Yaroslav Askarov, the San Jose Sharks added a top goaltending prospect to their already-loaded prospect pool.
Askarov is a 22-year-old former first-round pick with a high pedigree. The only concern with him is that he only has three games of NHL experience to his name. With Mackenzie Blackwood still in the fold, Askarov likely won't immediately be the team's No. 1 netminder.
The netminder immediately becomes the top goalie prospect in the system and could be seen as a top-five prospect regardless of position. Many hockey prospect media outlets have praised the job Mike Grier has done to add to the prospect pool in a short time.
Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, and Quentin Musty are the future stars of the Sharks forward core. Sam Dickinson can potentially be a No. 1 defenseman in the NHL. All the Sharks were missing was a top goalie prospect.
The Athletic ranked Askarov as the No. 2 best-drafted goalie prospect in the NHL.
"I think it's starting to come into the picture, but there's a lot of work to be done," Grier said about the Sharks rebuild. "I have to give a lot of credit to the staff here for help supporting me. Our amateur [and] pro scouts have done a really good job. They've grinded hard. They've seen these players; they've done the work. We've been able to turn some of these players into pretty good assets and draft some good players."
Grier says the Sharks believe that Askarov can be a future star in the NHL.
"We talked a little earlier about the competitiveness, but the size, the athletic ability, the way he reads the plays. He can also handle the puck. When you're that size, and you have the ability to anticipate and read plays with the athletic ability he has, I think it's all about him putting it all together," Grier said about the young goalie. "We're very confident that he's going to be a number one. You don't have too many chances at players like this."
Grier believes that more work is needed to strengthen the Sharks even further, but since taking over in the summer of 2022, the GM has established the foundations of his vision.
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