Sharks Reassign Laurent Brossoit, Yaroslav Askarov To Return
Ahead of tonight’s game against St. Louis, the San Jose Sharks reassigned Laurent Brossoit to the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda. With this move in mind, it became apparent that starter Yaroslav Askarov is set to return to the crease, confirmed by Max Miller of Sharks Hockey Digest.
Brossoit has been back and forth in the past few weeks, last summoned three days ago. Throughout that time he’s only managed to play in one game, March 15 against Ottawa, where he took a loss in a rough outing. Even then, the 33-year-old deserves props for working his way back to the highest level after numerous injuries cast doubt on his career.
In 15 games with the Barracuda, Brossoit has been one of the AHL’s premier netminders, boasting a .915 save percentage and winning 11 of his 15 contests. As far as #3 depth goaltenders go, the Sharks feature a strong one in the British Columbia native with 141 games of NHL experience. He should have the opportunity to lead the San Jose farm hands into the postseason.
Meanwhile, Askarov’s return makes for an exciting end of the season for Sharks fans. It has been a tough month for the show stopping 23-year-old, who returned from a 16-day absence last week only to be injured again against the Blues. Thankfully it doesn’t appear to be serious, and he’ll come back against the same opponent four days later.
Askarov, thought to be one of the game’s best young goalies, hasn’t put it all together just yet. He’s struggled at times with a 3.52 goals against average and an .888 save percentage, slightly above the .500 win rate. Still, the Russian flashes his brilliance regularly and there’s usually a learning curve for any such prospect, especially adjusting as part of a growing team.
The Sharks are set up with young talent across the lineup, and Askarov will look to finish the campaign on a high note before continuing to improve with the club in 2026 and beyond.
Sharks Recall Laurent Brossoit
The San Jose Sharks have recalled depth goaltender Laurent Brossoit from the AHL. He will help shore up the depth chart after starter Yaroslav Askarov was injured in the second period of Thursday’s game against the St. Louis Blues per Curtis Pashelka of Bay Area News Group. Askarov was injured after Blues winger Nathan Walker was knocked into the crease by Sharks defenseman Vincent Desharnais. The Sharks haven’t yet designated the nature of Askarov’s injury.
Thursday marked Askarov’s return from a previous injury that held him out of 16 days and seven games. He has served as San Jose’s go-to goaltender when healthy. Playing through his first season in a full-time NHL role, Askarov has recorded 19 wins, an .887 save percentage, and a 3.52 goals-against-average through 41 games.
Brossoit made his own return from injury in early December. He played his first games of the season with the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs, after missing the entirety of the 2024-25 season with multiple lower-body injuries. The Sharks traded for Brossoit in early January. He quickly took over the starting role for the San Jose Barracuda, where he has posted an impressive 11 wins and .915 save percentage in 15 appearances. On the long haul back from injury, the former William M. Jennings Trophy-winner received his first call up to the Sharks roster on March 13th. He played in his first NHL game since April, 2024 two days later and allowed six goals on 23 shots in a 4-7 loss to the Ottawa Senators.
Brossoit moved to the backup role for the remainder of Askarov’s absence, then returned to the AHL with a 31-save performance on Wednesday. Now, another injury to Askarov will pull Brossoit back into the NHL, where he’ll continue to backup Alex Nedeljkovic. It is unclear if he’ll have a chance at returning to the starter’s crease, though another NHL appearance will mean a chance to get back on track after a rough return to the league.
Snapshots: Askarov, Sabres, Peterson, Whitecloud
While the Sharks needed to call up Laurent Brossoit on Friday to cover for Yaroslav Askarov’s injury, it appears the youngster won’t be out for long. San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng reports that the lower-body injury is not believed to be serious. The 23-year-old has had an up-and-down first season in the NHL, posting a 3.56 GAA and a .886 SV% along with a -11.2 Goals Saved Above Average mark, per MoneyPuck. However, Askarov has made 40 starts so far, a solid number for a player in his first full NHL campaign. For now, Alex Nedeljkovic will serve as the starter heading into a back-to-back set against Montreal and Ottawa this weekend but he won’t be in that spot for long based on the news about Askarov, with Peng relaying (Twitter link) that he’s officially listed as day-to-day.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- The Sabres announced a trio of injury updates heading into their game tonight against Toronto. Winger Alex Tuch will return after missing Thursday’s game against Washington due to a lower-body injury. While that’s certainly some good news as they continue their push for the top spot in the Atlantic, there’s also some bad news on the injury front. Defenseman Mattias Samuelsson is listed as doubtful due to an undisclosed injury while newly acquired winger Tanner Pearson is out due to a lower-body injury he picked up while subbing in for Tuch versus the Caps.
- Panthers assistant GM Brett Peterson has been named as GM of Team USA’s entry into the upcoming men’s World Championship, per an announcement from USA Hockey. It will be his second time running the team as he was also in charge back in 2024. Peterson is in his sixth season in his role with Florida. The tournament gets underway on May 15th.
- Flames defenseman Zach Whitecloud has joined the team on its road trip and took part in the morning skate today, relays Sportsnet 960’s Derek Wills (Twitter link). The 29-year-old has missed the last three games due to an upper-body injury. Acquired in the Rasmus Andersson trade earlier this season, Whitecloud is averaging more than 22 minutes per night since the swap, leading to some trade interest before last week’s deadline. Now, it appears he’s ready to return and will continue to play a big role down the stretch.
Sharks Sign Kyle Chauvette To Amateur Tryout
The Sharks have signed University of New Hampshire starter Kyle Chauvette to an amateur tryout, per Curtis Pashelka of the Bay Area News Group. He will serve as the emergency backup to Alex Nedeljkovic for tonight’s game against the Bruins. Yaroslav Askarov is unable to dress due to an undisclosed injury that became apparent at morning skate today. As Askarov wasn’t ruled out until this morning, San Jose didn’t have time to get an AHL recall coast-to-coast in time for tonight’s contest.
If an injury to Nedeljkovic forces Chauvette into action, it won’t be a miracle story like we’ve seen in the past with EBUGs like David Ayres and Scott Foster. Chauvette just wrapped up his senior season of college hockey yesterday, when UNH’s season ended in the first round of the Hockey East tournament against Northeastern. The 24-year-old transferred to his hometown school last summer after spending the first three seasons of his NCAA career at Union College, where he was named an ECAC Third Team All-Star in 2024-25.
Still, since Chauvette doesn’t have any professional experience, he’s eligible to dress for San Jose as an EBUG. The 6’1″, 190-lb netminder put up respectable numbers behind a New Hampshire squad that finished second-last in the conference, logging a .902 SV% and 2.63 GAA in 34 appearances with a 13-19-1 record and five shutouts. He appeared in all but one game for the Wildcats and should have multiple pro offers in the coming weeks with his NCAA career in the rearview.
The question for the Sharks, still in the thick of a wild-card race in the West, becomes how long they’ll be without Askarov. The 23-year-old has arrived as a full-time NHLer and, while he’s started 40 out of 62 games, the workload was likely going to shift more toward the veteran Nedeljkovic down the stretch anyway.
The 2020 first-round pick has had his moments this season and has received enough goal support to register a 19-17-3 record, but his .886 SV% and 3.56 GAA are some of the worst marks in the league among starters. His -11.2 goals saved above expected this season are eighth-worst in the league, per MoneyPuck.
Compared to Nedeljkovic’s .900 SV%, 2.83 GAA, and 0.5 GSAx in 22 starts and five relief appearances, Askarov was in danger of losing out on some starts with San Jose in a tight race with the Kings, Kraken, and Predators for the second wild-card slot in the West – the Mammoth are virtually locked into the first wild-card slot at this rate with an 81% likelihood of ending up there. Askarov’s recent play – he only has a .869 SV% since the beginning of February – may have begged the question of whether Nedeljkovic should be the Sharks’ Game 1 starter if they emerge from the field.
It’s also worth noting that those numbers from Nedeljkovic have come with him rarely making back-to-back starts – something he hasn’t done since Askarov was out with an illness in December. How will he perform in an increased workload if Askarov misses more than a couple of games?
It’s now where the Sharks’ acquisition of Laurent Brossoit from the Blackhawks in January could pay dividends. The 32-year-old hasn’t seen NHL action since the 2023-24 season due to various lower-body surgeries but has been excellent for both Rockford and San Jose in the AHL this season and is arguably the best veteran third-string option in the league. In 14 games since the trade, he has a .915 SV% and 2.48 GAA for the Barracuda with an 11-2-1 record.
West Notes: Bjugstad, Parekh, Askarov
Blues center Nick Bjugstad will miss at least the next five days due to an upper-body injury, the team announced. The injury occurred in the second period of their game against Boston on Tuesday. The 33-year-old has had a quiet start to his career in St. Louis, putting up just four goals and one assist through 25 games while splitting time between down the middle and on the wing. The oddly specific timeframe isn’t quite enough to make Bjugstad eligible for injured reserve at this time as that requires a minimum of a seven-day absence. However, should the team determine that he’ll be out for a little bit longer, they’ll be able to backdate the placement if they need to put him on there to open up a roster spot.
More from out West:
- Flames defenseman Zayne Parekh has been cleared for contact, notes Wes Gilbertson of the Calgary Sun (Twitter link). The rookie has missed more than a month due to an upper-body injury. However, it’s unlikely to be Calgary who immediately benefits from his return to health since Parekh will soon be joining Canada’s entry for the upcoming World Juniors. If he doesn’t go to their camp right away, he’d be eligible for a conditioning assignment with AHL Calgary, somewhere he’s ineligible to play for this season on a full-time basis.
- Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov didn’t play last night due to illness but he has rejoined the team at the next stop of their road trip in Toronto, relays Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News. As expected, it has been an up-and-down year for San Jose’s top goalie prospect but he has posted a respectable 3.14 GAA with a .901 SV% in 19 starts so far. The Sharks used an EBUG as the backup on Tuesday in Philadelphia and the fact no netminder has been recalled since suggests they expect Askarov will at least be able to serve as the backup on Thursday.
Evening Notes: Pastrnak, Predators, Askarov
The Boston Bruins are getting a huge boost tonight, as Conor Ryan of Boston.com shared that star forward David Pastrňák is returning versus St. Louis. It was speculated yesterday that he, as well as Charlie McAvoy, would come back at some point on the club’s road trip, and sure enough, Pastrňák slots back in on a line with Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov this evening.
The 29-year-old sniper posted 29 points in 25 games before going down with an undisclosed injury in late November. Without their go-to scorer, Boston went 3-2, and despite losing their two stars, the team remains firmly in the mix, currently third in the Atlantic. McAvoy proved unable to return today, but eyes will be on the defender later in the week, as the Bruins travel to Winnipeg for a Thursday matchup.
Elsewhere across the league:
- Nick Kieser of Lower Broad Hockey posted comments from Predators GM Barry Trotz’s radio segment on 102.5 The Game, that he is “listening to everything”. Trotz went on to say that if a team approaches him for Steven Stamkos, he’s “going to listen”. Kieser also shared that Trotz is open to taking on unfavorable contracts in deals. The Predators, still 32nd in the league, appear set to finally embark on a full scale teardown. As they’ve retained salary on Mattias Ekholm and Colton Sissons (both set to end after this season) they have just one remaining retention slot, complicating things a bit. Although the team has a deep prospect pool, they lack NHL ready talent, so bringing back veteran placeholders would be beneficial as they navigate a rough season. Trade talks for the likes of Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Ryan O’Reilly have yet to reach serious stages, but once suitors officially emerge, Trotz will have to get creative to find his highly respected veterans new homes on teams with limited cap flexibility.
- An unlikely figure has dressed for the Sharks tonight, as the team announced that Justin Kowalkoski has been added to the roster on an ATO to back up Alex Nedeljkovic, as Yaroslav Askarov has fallen ill. Kowalkoski, 39, played collegiately for Colgate University until 2007-08 as a backup netminder, now finding himself at the highest level in what will be a memorable night. The goaltender also made emergency backup appearances with the Red Wings and the ECHL’s Reading Royals in past years, but has not appeared in a contest.
Sharks Maintaining Faith In Yaroslav Askarov
As the Sharks work through a trying time in their history, one key story so far this season has been Yaroslav Askarov and his performance in net. Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now shared earlier today an article published by fellow member, William Espy, on how the organization holds strong faith in Askarov through ups and downs.
Despite a 5.72 GAA and .838 SV% going into tonight, Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky emphasized that Askarov remains very young, raw, and has faced a lot of pressure. San Jose has more bright spots on the ice than previous years, but the job between the pipes in teal is still not exactly an easy one, as the team continues their hardcore rebuild.
Last summer GM Mike Grier made improving his back-end a key point of emphasis. Although players such as Dmitry Orlov, John Klingberg, and Nick Leddy are no longer what they once were, it is a considerable improvement, even just by veteran presence alone. Askarov’s interests were likely a factor.
Drafted 11th overall in 2020 by Nashville, Askarov was one of the most hyped up goaltender prospects in recent memory. Despite posting strong numbers in the AHL, the Predators, known for their keen ability to develop goalies, were not sold on the Russian and his electric yet sometimes polarizing style. They opted to lock up Juuse Saros long-term, and understandably, Askarov requested a trade.
San Jose, putting together a formidable young core, swooped in and added to it, dealing fellow goaltender Magnus Chrona, prospect David Edstrom, and a first round pick (originally owned by Vegas) for Askarov. While Nashville hopes Edstrom can become a top six forward, if Askarov can reach his potential, which is still absolutely possible, it does not feel like a lot to give up; goalies like him do not come along often. The Russian is the whole package: size, athleticism, and a bit of a unicorn catching right.
Many netminders take time to develop, going through growing pains, especially in an environment such as San Jose. The biggest challenge for Warsofsky is making sure Askarov, along with many of his young skaters, are not overwhelmed and therefore hurting their development, along with simple patience.
Sure enough, tonight, Askarov played much better in New Jersey, stopping 26 of 28 shots including several highlight reel saves. Despite the efforts, the Sharks took the loss, unfortunately a result he will probably have to face often for the foreseeable future.
Central Notes: Bennett, Bednar, Wild, Predators
At least one change is coming to the Colorado Avalanche’s bench for the 2025-26 NHL season. President of Hockey Operations Joe Sakic and General Manager Chris MacFarland (via Meghan Angley of Guerrilla Sports) shared that the team is moving on from assistant coach Ray Bennett.
Bennett had been an assistant coach for the Avalanche since the 2017-18 season, primarily running the team’s power play. It’s somewhat of a surprise, given Colorado’s powerplay never finished outside the top-10 (outside of the 2019-20 season), and finished their Round One loss to the Dallas Stars with a 30.4% success rate. Given his success with the Avalanche, the Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers, New York Islanders, and Anaheim Ducks could all look to Bennett for additional help with a man advantage.
Bennett is likely the only coach departing Colorado’s bench this offseason. Surprisingly, the pair of front office leaders were asked about head coach Jared Bednar‘s status, to which MacFarland replied, “100% confident Jared (Bednar) is our head coach.” Bednar has managed a 390-246-64 record in 700 games as the Avalanche’s head coach, including a Stanley Cup championship in 2022.
Other notes from the Central Division:
- Although the Minnesota Wild became the first professional team in North American sports to lose in the opening round of the playoffs for the eighth time in ten years, no changes are coming to their coaching staff. According to Michael Russo of The Athletic, General Manager Bill Guerin doesn’t expect any coaching changes for the Wild this offseason, which extends to their head coaching situation for their AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild.
- Passing along a statement from their Director of Scouting, Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean, reiterated that the Nashville Predators want to select one or two goaltenders during this summer’s draft. The news is surprising, given that Nashville relatively recently extended starting netminder Juuse Saros to an eight-year extension and traded heir-apparent Yaroslav Askarov to the San Jose Sharks. Although some netminders could be taken in the first round, any of them would be a reach for the Predators with the fifth overall selection.
Who Is The Best Player Currently Playing Outside The NHL?
With Ivan Demidov recently joining the Montreal Canadiens, Alexander Nikishin joining the Hurricanes for practice, and Zeev Buium debuting with the Minnesota Wild, the list of top prospects playing outside the NHL has shrunk. This raises the question: Who is the top player in the world not playing in the NHL?
Former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Josh Leivo tore up the KHL this season, setting a single-season goal record with 49. The 31-year-old also led the KHL scoring with 80 points in 62 games on his way to a career season, and at one point had four hat tricks in a month.
Leivo is no stranger to the NHL, having played 265 career games over 10 seasons, tallying 42 goals and 51 assists. The Innisfil, Ontario, native last played in the NHL during the 2022-23 season, scoring four goals and adding 12 assists in 51 games with the St. Louis Blues. Since then, Leivo has posted elite numbers in the KHL, but it would be challenging to anoint him as the top player outside the NHL, especially since this was the first season in which he’s played at that level.
Vladimir Tkachev is another KHL star who could make a case for being the best player in the world currently outside of the NHL. The 29-year-old had a cup of coffee in the NHL with the Los Angeles Kings during the 2021-22 season, chipping in two helpers in four games. At the AHL level, Tkachev had seven goals and 22 assists in 41 games with the Ontario Reign that season, before returning to Russia.
Since linking up with Avangard Omsk of the KHL, Tkachev has been an elite scorer, posting a better-than-a-point-per-game average, including last year, when he registered 20 goals and 55 assists in 58 games. This past year, Tkachev missed seven months after suffering a ruptured Achilles and played in just four games. At 29, Tkachev is what he is in his bid to be the best player outside of the NHL. Still, given that his sample size from last season is so small, and he only has one elite professional season under his belt, it is hard to anoint him as the holder of that title now.
Regarding goaltenders outside the NHL, Sharks prospect Yaroslav Askarov is as good as it gets. The 11th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft has had a terrific AHL career thus far and was dominant this season, posting a .923 save percentage with four shutouts in 22 games. Askarov was a highly touted prospect before being drafted, drawing comparisons to Carey Price. He has good size, tracks the puck well, and has terrific athleticism. He is also very calm in the crease, which explains the comparisons to Price.
Askarov has all the makings of a franchise goalie, but at 22, he has yet to break through to the NHL full-time. He did play well in 13 NHL games this season, registering 1.7 goals saved above expected (as per MoneyPuck), and should leap full-time next year. Which begs the question: Is he the best player outside the NHL? The answer is probably no, but he should be included in the conversation. It won’t be long until he plays NHL hockey full-time, and if he establishes his game at the same time as the Sharks’ other top prospects, he could do some pretty remarkable things in San Jose.
The next name that comes to mind is another former NHLer, Nikita Gusev. The 32-year-old Gusev had a solid rookie season with New Jersey back in 2019-2020, posting 13 goals and 31 assists in 66 games. However, he followed it up with a subpar 2020-21 season, which led him to leave the NHL for the KHL. Since departing for Russia, Gusev has been a point-per-game player, even setting a new KHL single-season scoring record with 89 points in 68 games during the 2023-24 season. Given his consistency in recent seasons, a strong case could be made that Gusev is the top player in the world currently playing outside of the NHL until we discuss the last name on the list.
For many people, the first name that comes to mind is 17-year-old Gavin McKenna, and for good reason. McKenna is the projected first overall pick in 2026 and just finished a phenomenal season with the Medicine Hat Tigers, producing 41 goals and 88 assists in 56 games. McKenna has another season in junior hockey before he is drafted, and he will no doubt draw comparisons not just to recent first-overall selections Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini, but also to a decade-defining talent like Connor McDavid, as well.
While he undoubtedly has the highest upside of any player currently playing outside of the NHL, it’s hard to say he is the definitive number one, but it is also hard to dispute it. He isn’t playing against men yet, and all the other players are competing in professional hockey in the world’s second- or third-best leagues. The comparison isn’t exactly apples to apples, but there can’t be one.
The debate likely comes down to Gusev and McKenna for being the best in the world outside the NHL. While the title is unofficial, it was previously held by Gusev before he made the move to the NHL. However, given McKenna’s historic season, he has completed arguably one of the best seasons ever in the CHL for a 17-year-old, and he makes the best case for the best player in the world outside of the NHL.
Snapshots: Hurricanes, Askarov, Soderblom, Greentree, Francis
It appears that the Hurricanes will get some help on the injury front as they begin a three-game road trip on Thursday in San Jose. Team reporter Walt Ruff mentions (Twitter link) that defenseman Dmitry Orlov should be ready to return after missing the last two weeks with an upper-body injury. The 33-year-old has four goals and 20 assists in 62 games this season while logging a little under 20 minutes a night.
Meanwhile, the news isn’t as good for winger Andrei Svechnikov. Ruff added that it wasn’t initially known if the 24-year-old would be accompanying the team on the trip. Last week, the hope was that Svechnikov would be back for the Hurricanes sometime this week but that appears to be more in question now. He has 18 goals and 25 assists in 63 outings this season.
Elsewhere around the hockey world:
- Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov is hoping to be cleared to skate with the AHL’s Barracuda next week as he works his way back from a lower-body injury, relays Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News (Twitter link). The 22-year-old has a 3.10 GAA and a .896 SV% in 13 games with the Sharks this season and is likely to be recalled at some point down the stretch to get a few more games in with the big club.
- It has been a rough go as of late for Blackhawks goaltender Arvid Soderblom. He has won just one of his last ten games while posting a SV% of just .881, 20 points below his mark for the season at .901. Despite that, Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times notes that at the moment, the team is still operating under the plan that he’ll serve as Spencer Knight’s backup for next season. Soderblom will be owed a $1MM qualifying offer this summer with salary arbitration rights and with 82 NHL games now under his belt, it’s possible that Chicago could feel the risk of a hearing is too great. Accordingly, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them try to work on getting him signed before the tender deadline in June.
- Kings prospect Liam Greentree was suspended for two games today by the OHL for a checking from behind incident on Sunday, the league announced (Twitter link). The 19-year-old was the 26th pick last June and sits tied for second in the league in points (with 119) while being fourth in goals (49) and second in assists (70). Windsor only has two games remaining in the regular season so he won’t be able to move up those leaderboards even further.
- Ducks prospect Will Francis will join AHL San Diego for their stretch run, reports Matt Wellens of the Duluth News-Tribune. The 24-year-old blueliner was a sixth-round pick back in 2019, going 163rd overall. Francis is a three-time cancer survivor, missing time in three of his four collegiate campaigns at the University of Minnesota-Duluth due to the illness, limiting him to just 39 games overall, five of which came this season.