The Sharks have called up Yaroslav Askarov from the AHL team in San Jose, while Nico Sturm is now on injured reserve.
Askarov was supposed to fight for a spot in the NHL after being traded from the Predators, but a summer injury delayed his plans. Because he couldn’t start with San Jose until October, the Sharks kept Mackenzie Blackwood and Vítek Vaněček as their main goalies and sent Askarov to their AHL team.
Now that he’s back, Askarov has shown why he belongs in the NHL. His stats are amazing: 1.92 GAA, .939 save percentage, two shutouts, and a 6-3-0 record—pretty impressive for a team that’s struggled lately. Fans might think it’s about time he gets this chance! Before joining San Jose’s squad, Askarov played well in Milwaukee with .911 save percentages over two seasons but only got two starts in Nashville’s big league.
Sharks Goalie Shuffle:
Tonight against the Red Wings, Askarov will be backing up Blackwood because Vaněček got hurt last Saturday against the Penguins. While Blackwood has been solid with a .914 save percentage this year, Vaněček has had some struggles with just a .899 save percentage. If Vaněček stays out long enough for Askarov to play more games, there’s an opportunity for him to take over as Blackwood’s backup or even push Vaněček out of his spot entirely.
Meanwhile, Nico Sturm is dealing with an upper-body injury that put him on injured reserve retroactively from November 14th. He’ll miss at least two more games but could return when they face off against the Blues on Thursday. Despite averaging just under ten minutes per game this season, Sturm still managed six points (three goals and three assists) across 18 games.
What do you think? Should Askarov get more chances to prove himself?
