Over the last 12 months, the San Jose Sharks’ goaltending has undergone wholesale changes. MacKenzie Blackwood is now a member of the Colorado Avalanche [http://thn.com/colorado], and Vitek Vanecek won the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers [http://thn.com/florida] before finding his way to the Utah Mammoth [http://thn.com/utah] this summer. Meanwhile, Alexandar Georgiev and Georgi Romanov are currently unrestricted free agents. All four of those netminders suited up for the Sharks during the 2024-25 season, and now they’ve moved on. The only remaining Sharks goaltender from last season is Yaroslav Askarov, a highly-touted 23-year-old who they acquired from the Nashville Predators [http://thn.com/nashville] less than a full calendar year ago. Askarov’s potential seems sky-high; however, as history has shown, potential is far from a guarantee in the NHL. He’s been a consistent high-end performer at the AHL level, whether that was with the Milwaukee Admirals or the San Jose Barracuda, but he’s been unable to sustain that high level of play at the top level of hockey. With that being said, the Omsk, Russia native has had flashes of brilliance, but there have been moments where he’s struggled mightily, such as January 23 against his former team when he gave up six goals on 38 shots. When free agency opened on July 1, Mike Grier made a trade to acquire his apparent battery-mate, Alex Nedeljkovic, from the Pittsburgh Penguins [http://thn.com/pittsburgh]. While Nedeljkovic has had some success at the NHL level, his play has deteriorated since his rookie season with the Carolina Hurricanes when he was named a finalist for the Calder Trophy during the 2020-21 season. Nedeljkovic brings a competitive spirit to the Sharks, famously sparking the Penguins after being pulled against the Flyers last season, with an outburst that then head coach Mike Sullivan credited as a turning point in the game. According to Michelle Crechiolo of NHL.com, after that game [https://www.nhl.com/penguins/news/emotional-nedeljkovic-inspires-penguins-to-rally-past-flyers], Sullivan told the media, “For me, that's just an indication of how invested he is. He cares. He's competitive. He wants to win. That's raw emotion, and I have no problem with that. Quite honestly, I thought he inspired the group to want to compete for him. I thought our team responded. I thought Ned was a big part of it.” One thing to keep in mind regarding Askarov was the state of the defensive corps in front of him. The Sharks' defense struggled mightily regardless of who was between the pipes. Grier set out to resolve that problem this summer, adding the likes of Dmitry Orlov, Nick Leddy, and John Klingberg into the organization. While this has led to a glut of NHL-caliber defensemen, it will create competition in training camp, which should push every single player to work their hardest, as it seems very few spots will be guaranteed. The Sharks have already moved Henry Thrun in order to attempt to clear the logjam, but more moves may be necessary after training camp gets underway. The Sharks added another top goaltending prospect into their ranks, drafting Joshua Ravensbergen late in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft. Although he’s not expected to battle for an NHL role for at least a few years, the move put Askarov on a timeline to prove he can be a top goaltender in the NHL. With just Nedeljkovic to beat, he has the opportunity to earn the starting job this fall with minimal resistance compared to last season. Nedeljkovic told local media [https://youtu.be/YKlgJ5EAbYo?si=tMSUWVCpEira9_Pa] that he was surprised about the trade to San Jose, but he was also looking forward to a new opportunity. “Definitely very excited,” Nedeljkovic said. “It’s going to be a great opportunity to play some games and work with some new guys, get to know some new guys, and hopefully make some good friends.” The Sharks took a similar approach, bringing in Georgiev last season, and although that didn’t work as intended, there’s always a chance that Nedeljkovic thrives in San Jose. With just a single season remaining on his contract, if he’s able to play at a high level for the first half of the 2025-26 season, Grier may be able to flip him for assets similar to Blackwood closer to the trade deadline. Otherwise, the Sharks only gave up a third-round pick for a player to fill a role this coming season, which isn’t a bad piece of business either way. Last season, Nedeljkovic was the highest-performing goaltender of the Penguins’ trio. He split time with Tristan Jarry and Joel Blomqvist, but the Parma, Ohio native started the most games with 38. His save percentage, .894, and goals against average, 3.12, left quite a bit to be desired but the fact that he outperformed the organization’s other goaltenders appears to be a positive sign. A tandem consisting of a young, high profile prospect and a veteran looking to show he can get back to a high level of play has the potential to be a major strong point for the Sharks this season. At the same time, though, it could also be a weakness. As a result, goaltending will certainly be a boom-or-bust factor for the team in teal as they look to start moving up in the standings. Photo Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
