The Nashville Predators’ number one goaltending prospect seems to have gotten his wish for a move outside of the Predators organization as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman is reporting that the San Jose Sharks are close to acquiring Yaroslav Askarov. According to a press release from Nashville, the Sharks will acquire Askarov, forward Nolan Burke, and Colorado’s third-round pick of the 2025 NHL Draft while sending away forward David Edstrom, goalie Magnus Chrona, and Vegas’ first-round pick in 2025.
It’s a major get for a rebuilding Sharks organization that was missing a true impact talent between the pipes. Over the past few years, San Jose has built up a nice young core of Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, Sam Dickinson, Filip Bystedt, and Shakir Mukhamadullin but has since failed to procure a long-term goaltender. With Askarov now in the fold, the Sharks have a 22-year-old goalie who has done nothing but dominate in the American Hockey League over the last two years.
With his entry-level contract set to expire at the end of the 2024-25 campaign, the Sharks moved quickly on an extension for Askarov with his agent Dan Milstein announcing a two-year deal for the young goaltender. Shortly thereafter PuckPedia relayed that Askarov will earn a $1.7MM salary with a $200K signing bonus in 2025-26 and a $2.1MM salary in 2026-27 with an AAV of $2M.
Askarov’s rise to stardom didn’t happen overnight. He was ranked as the highest available European goaltender in the 2020 NHL Draft leading to him being the first one taken off the board with the 11th overall pick by the Predators. In his draft year, Askarov suited up in 18 games for the VHL’s SKA-Neva St. Petersburg where he produced a 12-3-3 record along with a .920 save percentage and 2.45 goals-against average.
The young Russian netminder spent a few more years playing in Russia’s junior league before signing his entry-level contract with Nashville in 2022 and joining the organization for the 2022-23 season. In his rookie season with the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL, Askarov put up a 26-16-5 record in 48 contests coupled with a .911 SV% and 2.69 GAA which immediately put him on the map as a legitimate high-end goaltending prospect.
Askarov gave the Predators a decision to make. Over nearly the last two decades, Nashville has had the privilege of high-end goaltending with the organization seamlessly transferring from Pekka Rinne to Juuse Saros. The Predators quickly began receiving trade calls for both Askarov and Saros before signing Saros to an eight-year extension earlier this summer.
Despite the trade chatter, Askarov dominated in the AHL once again this past season with a 30-13-1 record in 44 games with a duplicated save percentage. Despite another year of solid play between the pipes, the Predators signed goalie Scott Wedgewood to serve as Saros’ backup next year, leading to Askarov requesting a trade from the organization.
He may not get the starting minutes right away with the Sharks as the team already deploys Mackenzie Blackwood and Vitek Vanecek as their current options. Given the current competitive status of the team, however, Askarov will have every opportunity to earn the starting minutes down the stretch and could even be the Sharks undisputed starter by season’s end.
Heading back to Nashville is a nearly identical package that the Sharks received for forward Tomas Hertl at this past year’s trade deadline. Edstrom was originally drafted with the 32nd overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft by the Vegas Golden Knights and has been working his way through the SHL with Frölunda HC on loan. The young two-way center brings solid awareness to both sides of the puck and should be a decent middle-six option for the Predators down the road.
Chrona will likely be deployed as a serviceable third-string goaltender for Nashville with a majority of his starts coming with the team’s AHL affiliate in Milwaukee. The University of Denver alum helped the Pioneers to their ninth National Championship in program history during the 2022 Frozen Four tournament. He finished his senior year with a 22-9-0 record in 31 games. Chrona signed with the Sharks as a collegiate free agent and made his debut with the team last year toward the end of the season where he collected one win in nine games on the heels of a .859 SV%.
The first-round pick, also acquired by San Jose in the Hertl trade, will be top-10 protected according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. If the draft choice were to fall in the top 10 of the 2025 NHL Draft, the Sharks would have the option of sending their pick or Vegas’ to Nashville.
Although Edstrom has decent upside as a forward prospect, he may not necessarily have the prospect pedigree that Nashville was originally looking for in exchange for Askarov to start the summer. However, the team still got much better in free agency with the acquisitions of Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei and now have three first-round picks for the 2025 NHL Draft.
Do it MG!
Holy absolute bad move by trotz if he didn’t acquire at minimum Eklund… I don’t like the ceiling of Edstrom… bottom 6 with middle 6 upside
Goalies don’t get great returns. Regardless of how well liked this guy is, he was never going to get what trotz wanted.
The Vegas pick is top 10 protected, in which case Nashville receives min(SJ, VGK).
I called it that SJ would trade the Vegas pick and a 3rd for Askarov. Actually SJ did better with:
Askarov = VGK 1st
2 SJ’s B prospects< Burke and 3rd
OH MY GODS THIS RULES SO HARD. I expected to trade Vegas’s first, but I haven’t even heard of Edstrom and Chrona, despite showing flashes of potential, doesn’t seem like he’ll be an NHL regular.
And getting additional equity with a 3rd in return… GMMG is having one hell of a good summer.
Edstrom came along with the Vegas first in the Hertl trade. Drafted 32nd overall in 2023 but apparently the Sharks saw him as a 3rd line center at best. So it comes to Hertl, retention, and 2027 3rd for Askarov.
As predicted, Trotz overplayed his hand and got caught offsides. That’s a truly underwhelming return.
Sharks were the worst TV in the NHL last year, but methinks they’ll be a fun watch this year.
What happened to Devin Cooley? He’s not a banner name of course but he had some pretty stellar moments. Not comparing to Askarov, just wondering.
Cooley signed with the Calgary Flames on the opening day of free agency this summer. Here is the article link if you are interested: link to prohockeyrumors.com
He’ll be the Flames’ 3rd goalie / AHL starter.
I think if you want to compare Askarov and Cooley all you have to do is look at all the games they played together in Milwaukee.
MG would do this pirouette thing when celebrating – actually a pretty skilled move on hockey skates. He must be gliding around his office like Oksana Baiul after this thievery of a trade!!
Upvote for an Oksana Baiul reference outta nowhere.
I finally got one right. I said San Jose. Or Anaheim. On a roll. LOL
Are the Sharks quickly becoming nasty? Maybe one more top pick this year and this team will be incredibly scary in 2-3 years.
They will be a lot better than 19 wins, that much is for sure. Maybe 30 wins? 2027 they will be nasty.
I predict sharks finish above ducks.
They are getting some good forwards and now (theoretically) have the goalie. What do they have on D, though?
They have two solid D prospects with Mukhmaddulin or whatever and Dickinson. They would each be the top D prospect on a number of teams.
Vlasic lol
This one I can finally get behind with Greir. Only way this goes bad is if SJS and VGK both finish bottom 5. Will prob become SJS best goalie since Khabibulin.
When was Khabibulin a shark? Do you mean Nabokov?
Lol yes. Getting my Russians mixed up. Tired.
All good, your point still stands. Sharks haven’t had much between the pipes since Nabby.
I like the 1st round pick Trotz got in return, but Edstrom and Chrona seem underwhelming.
When you think that the Preds could’ve just taken Seth Jarvis with that Askarov pick, this return isn’t really satisfying. Really no reason for Trotz to pull the trigger on this after waiting this long already.
When you have the chance to trade an inexpensive difference maker for a mid-1 draft pick and a prospect who tops out at 3C, you have to do it.
Big believer in pedigree and in doing everything within reason (and then some) to make sure you have the G position locked down.
So, I like this move a lot.