The rebuilding San Jose Sharks have added a significant prospect to their lineup after a trade with the Nashville Predators on Friday.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the Sharks are acquiring goaltender Yaroslav Askarov from the Predators.
Askarov’s fate in Nashville has been up in the air this summer after the Predators re-signed Juuse Saros to a long-term extension.
The 22-year-old Askarov has indicated he wants a shot at a full-time role in the NHL.
“I believe the one thing Askarov has indicated to both the Predators, and it’s kind of been floating around league-wide, is that he doesn’t want to go to the American Hockey League, he wants to play in the NHL next year,” Friedman said on 32 Thought: The Podcast earlier this month. “So, I think there are some teams that are kind of looking at it like, ‘If we want to acquire this guy, we better make sure we have space to play him,’ because there’s no point in acquiring him if he’s going to be unhappy or he’s going to be uncertain about his future.”
The Sharks are one of the few teams that can afford to take a risk on the young goaltender. San Jose currently has MacKenize Blackwood and Vitek Vancek pencilled in as its tandem in net.
