San Jose Sharks sign Yaroslav Askarov to two-year, $2 million AAV extension
Shortly after the San Jose Sharks acquired Russian goaltender Yaroslav Askarov from the Nashville Predators, general manager Mike Grier announced that the club had signed Askarov to a two-year, $4 million contract extension. The contract will have an average annual value (AAV) of $2 million.
Acquired & SIGNED ✍️
We've signed Yaroslav Askarov to a two-year deal.
Askarov was acquired from Nashville along with center Nolan Burke, and a 2025 third-round draft pick in exchange for center David Edstrom, goaltender Magnus Chrona and a 2025 first-round pick.
The 22-year-old had requested a trade from Nashville on Monday, after stating he would not report to the Predators’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate the Milwaukee Admirals.
Askarov spent most of the 2023-24 campaign in the AHL with the Admirals, where he posted a 30-13-1 record, a .911% save percentage, and six shutouts, along with a 2-3-0 record and a .882% save percentage in five AHL playoff games. He also got into two games at the NHL level with Nashville, winning one game and getting a .943% save percentage. Askarov posted a 56-29-6 record and nine shutouts in 92 games played with the Admirals.
The Omsk, Russia, native was selected No. 11 overall in the 2020 draft by Nashville. Prior to coming over to North America, Askarov spent time in the VHL and KHL SKA St. Petersburg where he compiled an 8-5-2 record at the KHL level and a 19-8-6 record at the VHL level.
Askarov will battle for a position with Vitek Vanecek and Mackenzie Blackwood who are also signed to the team, but with a lot less on the line in terms of winning, it’s likely that San Jose will give Askarov more time in the NHL.