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

[Pinkfloyd]

I basically agree with all of this

I'll be honest that I'm not particularly high on Mukhamadullin as a prospect so I probably don't have the same expectations that some on this board seem to have, he's not a no-doubt NHLer in my eyes, so I'm more than willing to play the long game with him, he's still a work-in-progress

I'm hoping the team is willing to use their depth spots in the lineup on defense for development like they are with the forwards. I'd be pretty concerned if one of Mukhamadullin or Thrun are not in the Sharks' lineup starting the season.

 

[timorous me]

Mukhamadullin turns 23 years old in January, this is by no means a make-or-break season, I'm not overly concerned if he isn't full time in the NHL this year

There's a case to be made it's better for his long term development for him to play 23 minutes a night in the AHL rather than getting crushed on the bottom pair of a terrible defensive team that will be in the basement of the NHL

I won't be worried about him unless he isn't establishing himself as a regular by the end of the 2025-26 season

Yup, a very good point that Sheng and Keegan made on last week's SJHN podcast was that Grier may have kept Mukh's NHL time limited to three games because they were protecting him in a sense--not every prospect is going to be able to successfully handle being part of such an atrocious team; Thrun didn't exactly thrive, but he hung in there, but we're talking about a Harvard kid with strong maturity and a strong mentality. Mukh, having taken a different path, might have had a different response.

I also think that his offensive abilities are being a bit understated by some. There are different paths to being successful offensively--and in terms of breakouts from your own end. Mukh is a big fella (well, tall, not filled-out yet), so he's a little limited in certain aspects, but I love how he gets the puck toward the net in threatening ways. And I think he also has some good breakout abilities, but we'll see when that's tested more as part of a subpar NHL defense.

 

[Star Platinum]

I kind of disagree with this assessment given what I/we know about the kid. He's a 6'4" noodle with some offensive capabilities. It's more like he's a PP2 guy, potentially... rangy and skates well for his size but doesn't necessarily use his size as much as he could... like a nerfed Dickinson. I wouldn't say he's profiling as a defensive D, more like a sort of solid middle pair 2-way D or a really solid 3rd pairing 2-way D who can play PP2 in a pinch.

At some point, production has to match skills evaluation. He was evaluated as being a project defenseman with a good shot and good skating ability, but needed to tighten up his defensive play.
He was tied with six other AHL defensemen at 23rd for point production and nothing about his offensive stats stands out at the AHL level. And I was hardly singing his defensive capabilities - my expectation is for him to be competent, but not a standout at the NHL level.

I think if your hope for him is to be a decent cost-controlled defenseman with whatever he generates offensively being gravy, you'll be content with him. If you're expecting more than that, then I think that's unrealistic. Better than Thrun, but nowhere near Dickinson.

 

[jMoneyBrah]

“He’s a project defenseman”

“defensemen take longer to develop”

Be Muhk, 22 years old, 1 season on small ice, earn AHL All Star selection.

“If he doesn’t make it this year, he’ll be out of the league”

 

[timorous me]

At some point, production has to match skills evaluation. He was evaluated as being a project defenseman with a good shot and good skating ability, but needed to tighten up his defensive play.
He was tied with six other AHL defensemen at 23rd for point production and nothing about his offensive stats stands out at the AHL level. And I was hardly singing his defensive capabilities - my expectation is for him to be competent, but not a standout at the NHL level.

I think if your hope for him is to be a decent cost-controlled defenseman with whatever he generates offensively being gravy, you'll be content with him. If you're expecting more than that, then I think that's unrealistic. Better than Thrun, but nowhere near Dickinson.

In terms of points production, that really doesn't seem bad to me when you consider how bad the Barracuda team around him was, and, like @jMoneyBrah said, his first full season on North American ice (as a 21-year-old for nearly half the season).

And it's not like his only calling card is point production. He's probably most likely to be an all-around solid 2nd pairing d-man. Will the D take a while to sharpen up? Probably--but by all indications he's getting there (and as someone who's 6'4" or 6'5", he already has an inherent advantage when it comes to certain aspects of defending).

Seriously, if anything, I think people out there are sleeping on Mukhamadullin. He was under the radar behind hotter Devils prospects, was playing in Russia until 2023, and then was exiled to San Jose and a terrible Barracuda team. A perfect recipe for him getting underrated by national prospect evaluators.

 

[gaucholoco3]

Also as much as we hope he can take a spot on a weak NHL defense the contract status and being waiver exempt plays a critical role in limiting his chances of making the NHL roster.

I don’t think Muk staying in the AHL this year would imply he has busted and has not NHL future.

It is obvious that the Cuda are investing in the team more this season than other seasons. It is the 10 year anniversary of the team moving to San Jose and I think the intention is to make a big push for the Calder Cup. If Muk and Askarov are developing and leading a Calder Cup contending team then I think it is a positive sign for their development.

My hope is that Muk shows enough to persuade the team to trade Ferraro either at the deadline or next offseason. If they don’t move Ferraro or Walman there is only one spot for Thrun and Muk.

 

[TheBeard]

At some point, production has to match skills evaluation. He was evaluated as being a project defenseman with a good shot and good skating ability, but needed to tighten up his defensive play.
He was tied with six other AHL defensemen at 23rd for point production and nothing about his offensive stats stands out at the AHL level. And I was hardly singing his defensive capabilities - my expectation is for him to be competent, but not a standout at the NHL level.

I think if your hope for him is to be a decent cost-controlled defenseman with whatever he generates offensively being gravy, you'll be content with him. If you're expecting more than that, then I think that's unrealistic. Better than Thrun, but nowhere near Dickinson.

I'm personally expecting a decent 2-line pairing D-man as his floor and nothing in his very brief stint with the big club last year dissuaded that expectation. Dude was immediately playing 22 minutes a game and didn't look out of place. Granted, it was only three games, but I didn't see anything that told me that the NHL was too big for him.

Also as much as we hope he can take a spot on a weak NHL defense the contract status and being waiver exempt plays a critical role in limiting his chances of making the NHL roster.

I don’t think Muk staying in the AHL this year would imply he has busted and has not NHL future.

It is obvious that the Cuda are investing in the team more this season than other seasons. It is the 10 year anniversary of the team moving to San Jose and I think the intention is to make a big push for the Calder Cup. If Muk and Askarov are developing and leading a Calder Cup contending team then I think it is a positive sign for their development.

My hope is that Muk shows enough to persuade the team to trade Ferraro either at the deadline or next offseason. If they don’t move Ferraro or Walman there is only one spot for Thrun and Muk.

I think he starts in the A as Grier probably wants more experience on the backend so the team can focus on developing the rooks up front. Once they've dipped their toes in the proverbial waters long enough I expect Grier will start staggering call-ups for guys like Mukh and Thompson and possibly Luca for a spell if he goes to the Cuda.

 

[RussianShark]

They gotta win the Calder Cup with their new badass center ice paintjob

 

[gaucholoco3]

View attachment 905491

They gotta win the Calder Cup with their new badass center ice paintjob

I saw it in person and those 5’s look like 6’s on the ice. It does not look as clean as I was expecting for a new logo.

 

[Hobocop]

View attachment 905491

They gotta win the Calder Cup with their new badass center ice paintjob

I'm not going to get my hopes up. That's what got me so frustrated last season.

But man we have have such a stacked team, potentially. Especially if Askarov is down here, to tie this topic back into the trade.

 

[themelkman]

View attachment 905491

They gotta win the Calder Cup with their new badass center ice paintjob

Is this a new logo? I know its just a play on the sharks one but I love it. Those OG colours always look amazing

 

[Mattb124]

It will be hard for Askarov to break out and be the #1 goalie on the Sharks with this blue line in front of him, imo. Any goalie for that matter.

Vlasic comes off the books in Askarov's last year of contract. That's going to be a challenge for Grier to get a much improved blue line in that time period.

Askarov is no stranger in asking for a trade. Looks to me he doesn't play the long game. Johansen comes off the books at the end of this season. That's $4m which the Preds could have given him the same deal as the Sharks.

Wedgewood in my view is only a backup goalie. He's also older than Saros.

Plus, Saros is older and his contract is up at the same time as Askarov's new contract.

Not sure if you meant Wedgewood when you typed Saros, but Saros just signed an 8-year contract (through 2033) and is the Pred’s presumptive starter for that duration. Askarov’s only clear path would have been as a back-up in the 2026-2027 season. The point being, I think the notion of him not playing the long game seriously glosses over important context.

 

[LadyStanley]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1833201971609932251