Editor's note: Sheng Peng will be a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.
“This is not just another goalie that we acquired.”
That’s how Sharks director of goaltending Evgeni Nabokov views Yaroslav Askarov, per Sergey Demidov at RG.org.
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On Friday, San Jose acquired top goaltending prospect Askarov from the Nashville Predators, along with a 2025 third-round draft pick and Nolan Burke, for David Edstrom, Magnus Chrona, and the Vegas Golden Knights’ 2025 first-round pick.
“He wants to be a franchise goalie, and we want to help him with that,” Nabokov told Demidov. “But to achieve that, you need many qualities. You don’t just have to be a good goalie on the ice, but you also have to be hard-working, mentally stable, get along with your teammates, be a leader. He has to be the backbone of the team; for that, you need character and be special.”
Nabokov, who tended goal in the NHL from 2000 to 2015, starring mostly for the Sharks, believes in Askarov: “As far as I understand, he has all of that. Now, we’ll see how he does. We’ll create all the conditions for him, but the main thing will depend on him.”
