Confirmed with Link: Sharks acquire Yaroslav Askarov (w/extension, 2yr @ $2m per), F Nolan Burke 2025 3rd for Edstrom, VGK 1st, and G Chrona

[fasterthanlight]

A bit of meditation: I'm not a big fan of trading assets for goalies -- you can win cups with randos, and very few goalies are consistently good for 5+ year spans. I'm hopeful Askarov bucks the trend though, he seems good!

 

[Skeksis25]

I don't know the last time I have been this excited to start a season. Even near the end of our contention years, I had gotten cynical and would approach every season with a "Here we go again" attitude. I think its because I expect the team to be bad this year too so its not like I'm going in waiting to be let down. But more because there are so many pieces now on the big club and in the minors now I genuinely want to follow every day. Even highly looking forward to how our coach turns out.

 

[YUPPY 2 7 10 11]

Looks like classic Binnington. Anyone know why he did that?

Yeah, He is sending a message "stay the F-- away from my net" Yaroslav Binnington
Here is the full video.

 

[YUPPY 2 7 10 11]

.

Somewhere Don Cherry’s head is exploding, especially because this is a Russian doing it lol.

 

[Cas]

Nolan Burke is a center. 21 years old. and scored 50 goals in 1 season in the OHL.
Was this guy injured last season? why did he scored only 5 goals? any more info on Burke would be awsome.

I assume he scored 50 goals in the OHL because he was a 20-year-old man playing in a league full of teenagers. He wasn't even point-per-game at age 19.

A good scouting report on Burke. I think he's just a warm body to take up space in Wichita with Mitchell Russell for a year before being let go.

 

[Cas]

It has potential but I'd feel better if it were Lund+Havelid or even Halttunnen over Edstrom and it's really only a good deal if Askarov hits the upper end of his potential.

I don't think Askarov has to do anything beyond turn into an acceptable NHL platoon goalie for this to be worth it - Edstrom isn't likely to be anything beyond a decent defensive-minded 4C and the pick we traded is probably 50-50 to totally bust, and most of the other outcomes are depth skater. The star potential of the Vegas pick (I'd guess it'll be around pick #22-30) is likely quite low.

 

[Zarzh]

What’s the upper end? A vezina winner?

It’s a good deal based on where the sharks are what they need. They are knee deep in good forward prospects… like 10+ potential or surefire nhl kids 21 or younger. Smith, Celly, musty, bystedt, haltunnen, Chernyshov, graf, cardwell, gushkin, bordeleau… not to mention Eklund (or Lund, wetsch, svoboda and other secondary prospects).

The sharks can easily afford to dish Edstrom without missing much a beat. I’m sad about the vgk pick for potential to add some D prospect depth, but oh well…

You want the best goalie prospect in the league? Well, you’re gunna have to pay. Frankly I think the price was quite reasonable.

The future core in now pretty much fully in place at 22 or younger. Obviously they could use another top end D to pair with dick, but you only need one high end goalie, and now they have it.

I tip my hat to Grier. The farm system and core building project is largely complete. Now comes the start of fleshing it out.

Great summer for Grier and the Sharks from winning the lottery, snagging a top 10 talent D despite starting with a 14th pick. Signing a 30 goal forward, and now acquiring a the best prospect goalie in the league for a likely late first and your 5th best forward prospect.

Listening to Warsofsky and watching what the shakes have down this summer… I really think we are in for a surprise… this is a very exciting year to come….

The upper end is a top 5 goalie with a longer than expected prime or massive peak.

Edstrom is the best defensive forward from his draft class, he's a winning player with huge upside if he exceeds offensive expectations. Him plus a 2nd pairing defenseman would be extremely expensive for a goalie.

The worst thing to happen would be a surprise playoff berth or otherwise missing out on a top defenseman.

 

[Bizz]

A bit of meditation: I'm not a big fan of trading assets for goalies -- you can win cups with randos, and very few goalies are consistently good for 5+ year spans. I'm hopeful Askarov bucks the trend though, he seems good!

only 4 Goaltenders have been drafted in the first round since 2010. One is a 2-time Cup Winner and probably gonna be an HOFer. 2 of them are the two best goalie prospects in the NHL (Askarov is one of them). The other is Jack Campbell, who was an All Star once.

 

[TheBeard]

A bit of meditation: I'm not a big fan of trading assets for goalies -- you can win cups with randos, and very few goalies are consistently good for 5+ year spans. I'm hopeful Askarov bucks the trend though, he seems good!

You can win cups with random 3rd line centers as well.

 

[fasterthanlight]

You can win cups with random 3rd line centers as well.

Right but I was really looking forward to having a logical justification for rooting for the knights to lose this year and now I'm only rooting against them because of my feelings

 

[TheBeard]

only 4 Goaltenders have been drafted in the first round since 2010. One is a 2-time Cup Winner and probably gonna be an HOFer. 2 of them are the two best goalie prospects in the NHL (Askarov is one of them). The other is Jack Campbell, who was an All Star once.

There's been 10 since 2010.

Right but I was really looking forward to having a logical justification for rooting for the knights to lose this year and now I'm only rooting against them because of my feelings

Well, like I said in an earlier post. Think about it this way, regardless of where they finish they still don't have their first. They could ultimately end up 3rd or 2nd worst and won't have that pick.

 

[coooldude]

Right but I was really looking forward to having a logical justification for rooting for the knights to lose this year and now I'm only rooting against them because of my feelings

You can still do it! If they finish out of the playoffs, then we basically get their lottery odds in addition to ours. Hating the knights is still very practical this year.

 

[The Nemesis]

Nashville fans are LIVID.

I like this.

2 questions though:

1. What'll we do with Blackwood and/or Vanacek?

2. who the heck is Nolan Burke?

Nolan Burke is the Francis Perron of Jayden Halbgewachses.

 

[fasterthanlight]

There's been 10 since 2010.


Well, like I said in an earlier post. Think about it this way, regardless of where they finish they still don't have their first. They could ultimately end up 3rd or 2nd worst and won't have that pick.

You can still do it! If they finish out of the playoffs, then we basically get their lottery odds in addition to ours. Hating the knights is still very practical this year.

Very true. I also need to remind myself that Macklin Celebrini is a shark so who has time to pay attention to some other team

 

[Munnyro]

I need to know this guy's nickname. Yaro, Yarsy, Asky, Slovy...this is boring.

 

[Erep]

I think it is worth mentioning, it was Askarov or nothing, as far as franchise goalies go.

Any high end goalie prospect drafted by the sharks would be 6 years out at least from really being a regular NHLer, if there even is one in the next couple drafts.

Goalies like Askarov has the potential to be dont get traded, and unless you get one on a Bobrovsky-like contract you don't get one in free agency. (And even that requires the guy to specifically want to come here.)

So, if the Sharks don't make this trade, at least the first half of the Smith/Celebrini window would feature platooning goalies. Can you win a cup like that? Of course, that is proven, but you'd rather not have to, so taking the one possible shot to avoid it seems really important. And the price is the price, as others were clearly in on this, so there was at least a bidding war at some level.

 

[OrrNumber4]

I think it is worth mentioning, it was Askarov or nothing, as far as franchise goalies go.

Any high end goalie prospect drafted by the sharks would be 6 years out at least from really being a regular NHLer, if there even is one in the next couple drafts.

Goalies like Askarov has the potential to be dont get traded, and unless you get one on a Bobrovsky-like contract you don't get one in free agency. (And even that requires the guy to specifically want to come here.)

So, if the Sharks don't make this trade, at least the first half of the Smith/Celebrini window would feature platooning goalies. Can you win a cup like that? Of course, that is proven, but you'd rather not have to, so taking the one possible shot to avoid it seems really important. And the price is the price, as others were clearly in on this, so there was at least a bidding war at some level.

This is a great post. Thanks for the inventive argument.

 

[Shark Finn]

Welp, we're screwed then.

Seriously, Nabokov has no track record of success as a goaltending scout or coach.

My thoughts exactly. Since when did our goalie coaching got better?

 

[timorous me]

Sean Shapiro just did his goalie rankings over at EP Rinkside (sub required) but posted his Askarov comments on his Substack:

Askarov is a unicorn, in several ways. He plays aggressively and skates exceptionally well, almost like a smaller goalie, but has a larger goalie frame at 6-foot-4. He’s never out of a play, and consistently makes second and third-chance saves because of how well he remains composed, even in the most scrambly moments. He’s by far the most explosive goalie of any of the prospects watched for this exercise.

Askarov is also an emotional goalie and it impacts his game, which can be a positive and a negative. He gets fired up for certain opponents, he likes playing against other top goalie prospects, and he likes to celebrate big moments publicly. It also makes his struggles snowball a bit, and it’s why he’s lost the net at times in the AHL, with the coaching staff turning to a calmer, more composed veteran. If he can find some balance in his game, Askarov is going to be a surefire No. 1 in the NHL and could contend for Vezina Trophies if he lives up to his tools.

What to make of Yaroslav Askarov's trade request

 

[Star Platinum]

My thoughts exactly. Since when did our goalie coaching got better?

In fact, were I the Sharks right now, I would say it's of the utmost importance to try and get a very good goaltending coach right now that they have someone worth investing in.

 

[Shark Finn]

In fact, were I the Sharks right now, I would say it's of the utmost importance to try and get a very good goaltending coach right now that they have someone worth investing in.

If they've been eyeing the guy for over a year and had discussions with the current goalie staff, I don't think any changes are coming soon.

Still, I'm plenty excited.

 

[Bizz]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1827090718986326439

Here's a GIF of a Predators Goalie having a perfectly normal and not embarrassing on-ice meltdown.

 

[timorous me]

I think it is worth mentioning, it was Askarov or nothing, as far as franchise goalies go.

Any high end goalie prospect drafted by the sharks would be 6 years out at least from really being a regular NHLer, if there even is one in the next couple drafts.

Goalies like Askarov has the potential to be dont get traded, and unless you get one on a Bobrovsky-like contract you don't get one in free agency. (And even that requires the guy to specifically want to come here.)

So, if the Sharks don't make this trade, at least the first half of the Smith/Celebrini window would feature platooning goalies. Can you win a cup like that? Of course, that is proven, but you'd rather not have to, so taking the one possible shot to avoid it seems really important. And the price is the price, as others were clearly in on this, so there was at least a bidding war at some level.

As someone who's always nervous about investment in goalies--high draft picks or trades--there are a couple things here that make this deal work for me (sort of related to your astute comments) specifically related to Askarov's age:

Askarov's pretty much ready to start his NHL journey (even if he starts in the AHL), so even though he's young at 22 and likely is a few years away from getting toward his peak, he's in a perfect position to grow with this young, talented group. They're a ways from their peak, anyway.

This year's draft didn't seem like a good one at all for investing in a goalie with a high pick. Next year might be better, but think about that situation: if you draft a goalie in 2025 and he won't be reaching his peak for six or seven years, you're talking about a guy who likely won't be a #1 guy ready to answer the playoff pressure bell until 2031 or 2032. It's not like the Sharks will be past their window--maybe that's right when they'll be in the prime of it--but you'd still have lots of years to cobble together something in net AND you'd have this kid coming through the system with possibly a lot of pressure on him.

So being able to trade for a goalie prospect who is as good as Askarov (strong performance in the AHL and a great pedigree--#11 pick four years ago) when he's at this point in his career? The timing is almost just too perfect for Grier to pass on the opportunity, even if it does come with some risk.

 

[timorous me]

My thoughts exactly. Since when did our goalie coaching got better?

Maybe when they hired Thomas Speer and then Ryan Miller? Speer does seem to have done a pretty decent job so far, at least with Blackwood, and Miller seems like a guy Grier has trust in even if he's just in a part-time developmental/scouting role (and obviously was a great goalie himself).

 

[LadyStanley]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1827227013079335271