Sheng Peng
“That’s a non-issue for me.”
That’s Mike Grier’s opinion about the emotion that Yaroslav Askarov plays with, emotion that has gotten the best of the star goaltending prospect on the ice at times.
The San Jose Sharks GM put his money where his mouth is, sending top prospect David Edstrom, the Vegas Golden Knights’ 2025 first-round pick, and Magnus Chrona to the Nashville Predators for Askarov, a 2025 third, and Nolan Burke on Friday.
“It’s an emotional sport. It’s a competitive sport. We want guys that compete hard every night, that play with emotion and play with fire,” Grier said.
Grier stressed that the Sharks investigated Askarov’s character before dealing for him.
Regardless, Askarov’s maturity remains a concern to multiple league sources that San Jose Hockey Now consulted.
It was a variation of the same theme: Askarov is supremely talented, but will he get in his own way in the end?
“Obviously, you have to reel it in and harness it in the right way,” Grier said.
Will Askarov?
Here’s what eight league sources — executives, scouts, and agents, none with the San Jose Sharks or Predators — think about Askarov and the trade.
Who Is Askarov?
“Talent level, he’s absolutely NHL-elite level,” Scout #1 said.
“There’s a lot to like about him in terms of just his overall athleticism. I love his feet and how he moves,” Scout #2 said.
“Has tremendous talent,” Executive #1 texted SJHN. “Big, moves well, can handle the puck (sometimes too much).”
“Talent no question,” a player agent, who doesn’t represent Askarov, said.
What’s in question?
“Too much immaturity and showboating,” the agent opined.
“You hit it on the head in your article,” Executive #1 said. “A little erratic in his structure as a goalie and his personality. He needs to calm his game in both aspects.”
“He is talented but a loose cannon. Starter potential if he can get more consistent,” Executive #2 said in July. “He is more worried about the bullshit in the game. Can get him off his game easy. Clotheslined a player in the Texas series this year. Got a penalty.”
There is, of course, another side to the coin.
“I really like his compete level. He’s got some fire in him. Is he one of those guys that it’s immaturity and it’s a distraction, and it’s coming from a wrong place or a bad place, or is it a guy that’s just uber-competitive, that just wants to win, and he gets frustrated?” Scout #2 mused. “There are a lot of goalies, some of them, can get really, really emotional or super-competitive. But I’m always on the side of I would have rather have a guy show too much emotion than maybe not enough emotion.”
Scout #1 is certainly on that side too: “Fiery personality. Reminds me a bit of when [Evgeni Nabokov] played in San Jose. Great goalie upside with some flair.”
It’s also important to remember that the 2020 No. 11 pick is just 22.
“He’s still very young,” Scout #2 said of the Russian keeper. “There’s some growing up to do.”
A Win-Win Trade?
So what does the industry think of the trade?
“Love it,” Scout #1 said. “Askarov has been available for a few years now, not talent-related, but a risk worth taking for sure.”
From the Predators’ perspective? Askarov went public with a trade request recently.
“I thought it was the right time to move him for Nashville,” Scout #2 said. “I thought it was fair market value. Wait it out and deal with the distraction, people would be talking about this all year, right? They keep him, he has a bad year because he’s pissed off, and then his value goes down.”
Scout #3 wanted more for the Preds: “I think the Sharks got the better [of] this trade. For the Preds, I’d like to get the 2026 first-round pick from San Jose [instead].”
Consensus appears to be that the San Jose Sharks were able to part with a lower-ceiling prospect in David Edstrom as a centerpiece. The same could be said of dealing the Golden Knights’ first, top-10 protected.
“Smart for the Sharks to hold on to [Quentin] Musty and deal Edstrom instead,” Scout #4 said. “Good deal for them.”
“I thought you guys reached a little on Edstrom,” Scout #5 opined, “so fantastic deal if you got a No. 1 [goalie] long-term [for him].”
There’s no doubt that Askarov didn’t come cheap.
“Some people might think it looks a little rich,” Scout #2 said. “Other people like myself, I think you got to do what you got to do to get the guy that you really want.”
San Jose needed a high-end goaltending prospect, and now they’ve got arguably the best in the world, without sacrificing their most valuable trade chips.
Why Saros Over Askarov?
Sports management cliché, it’s better to let a player go a year too early than a year too late.
So why did Nashville GM Barry Trotz opt to give 29-year-old franchise netminder Juuse Saros an eight-year extension instead of rolling with the younger and cheaper and arguably just as talented Askarov?
This is an especially relevant question in the salary cap era.
Askarov’s maturity does matter.
“Those are legitimate issues,” Scout #1, who loves Askarov, said, “there’s a reason why Nashville signed Saros to eight years and [Scott] Wedgewood [to back up].”
The Predators, evidenced by signing stars Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei in free agency, are also in win-now mode.
“They’re like, if we go Askarov, I think we’re gonna have a harder time winning right now, and this is more our window to win in the next two, three, four years,” Scout #2 speculated. “They’re on the accelerator now, and if they’re trying to win now, they probably look and say we need a guy that we know we can trust rather than roll the dice with a 22-year-old goalie.”
Will Askarov Put It All Together?
Will Mike Grier’s gamble pay off?
Maybe San Jose Sharks director of goaltending Evgeni Nabokov will be the missing piece.
“Nabby is the perfect coach for him, based on playing style and athleticism,” Scout #1 said. “Askarov is a stud.”
“He is a future star goalie,” Scout #3 said. “He just needs some time, one year probably for development.”
Scout #2 also believes in Askarov: “His athleticism and his mentality, [he should be] a really good goalie for a really long time.”
So what does the NHL think of the Askarov trade?
Consensus appears to be, Askarov is a risk, but he appears to be a risk well worth taking for the Sharks.