When he's on top of his game, San Jose Sharks netminder Yaroslav Askarov shows hints of becoming one of the NHL's elite goaltenders. Unfortunately for the Sharks though, that's often not the reality, as he's been plagued by inconsistency at the NHL level.
Askarov's experience at the NHL level carries a limited sample size, given last season was his first full season in the league. With that being said, a worrying trend has already started to take hold. There were times during the 2025-26 season in which Askarov looked as advertised. During the month of November, for example, he had an 8-2-0 record, a .944 save percentage, and a 1.88 goals against average. It seemed that he had found another gear and was taking the next step in his development, but it didn't last long.
Askarov fell back to Earth during December, and didn't register a monthly save percentage over .900 for the remainder of the season. The 24-year-old finished the season with an .883 save percentage and 3.63 goals-against average which were the fifth-worst and second-worst respectively amongst goaltenders to play in 40 or more games during the 2025-26 season.
Of course, the Sharks defense left a lot to be desired, but the underlying numbers for Askarov aren't much better. According to MoneyPuck, he had a -18.9 goals saved above expected, and although he made more high-danger saves than expected, he was below expected parameters on both low and medium-danger saves.
Alex Nedeljkovic had the same struggling defensive core in front of him, and finished with a rate of just -1.2 goals saved above expected and had more respectable showings in each level of save percentage despite playing just seven less games than Askarov.
Askarov has shown glimpses of what he could potentially turn into, but he still has quite a few moments where he takes unnecessary risks by playing the puck at a bad time or making a bad pass from behind the net. While no goaltender is perfect, Askarov's development isn't where the Sharks likely would've hoped given the haul they gave to the Nashville Predators for him.
Askarov's positive mentality could easily help him reach another level this coming season, and to be fair, with Joshua Ravensbergen in the system, it's not the end of the world for the Sharks if Askarov never lives up to his true potential. With that being said, if the Sharks are going to truly fight for a playoff spot during the 2026-27 season, they'll need Askarov to show that he's capable of being a true starting goaltender.
Since he arrived in San Jose, Askarov's style of play and decision-making has reminded me of his countryman Sergei Bobrovsky in his younger days. He comes out of the crease at some bad times and makes his job more difficult than it needs to be, but when he's at his best, he can steal games for his team. Of course, Bobrovsky has been a goaltender known for his wild inconsistency throughout his career, so Askarov will certainly want to be better than his peer in that regard.
At this stage in his career, a decade and a half ago, Bobrovsky was about to be named an NHL All-Star for the first time and win his first Vezina trophy at the age of 24. Maybe we'll see Askarov follow in his shoes this season, or maybe not. Only time will tell. Regardless, the Sharks won't need Askarov to be a Vezina-caliber goaltender to reach their goal of the postseason, they just need him to become a reliable starting netminder.
