At a time when most NHL groups have largely finalized their core rosters with solely the ultimate spots to be decided, the San Jose Sharks should still be making strikes. The workforce’s acquisition of goaltending prospect Yaroslav Askarov considerably altered their image in web, and led to hypothesis {that a} notable commerce may be on the horizon. Particularly, the Sharks would possibly attempt to commerce certainly one of their extra skilled goalies, Mackenzie Blackwood or Vitek Vanecek, with the intention to open up extra enjoying time for Askarov on the NHL degree.
This concept has some validity at first look, however a better examination suggests San Jose could be higher served to carry off on doing so for now. They need to at the least begin the season with all three goalies on the roster, and might revisit a possible commerce later. This extra affected person strategy will create extra work within the close to future, however can create a extremely constructive influence on the workforce’s long-term success.
Throwing Askarov Into Present Sharks May Be Unfair
The Sharks look like improved from final season, however that doesn’t imply they’ll be a contender. Most of their upgrades got here on offense, and the protection faces much more query marks. Though Askarov would possibly already be their finest goalie, they don’t must rush his growth, significantly when contemplating the protection he’ll be backstopping. San Jose’s blue line consists of quite a lot of spare elements and promising however unproven prospects. It’s a protection that may make errors and permit quite a lot of photographs, a lot of which can be of the high-danger selection. They may very well be taking a look at a retread of final season, when Blackwood turned in a variety of wonderful performances however couldn’t sustain behind a bunch of defenders that requested him to do far an excessive amount of work.
Placing Askarov into this example would begin his Sharks profession at a drawback. It may result in a lack of confidence, stunt his growth, and trigger stress between him and the group. If opponents are piling up objectives on him and he feels helpless, his morale may drop very low — dangerous for any younger participant, and particularly one who has confronted issues about his maturity.
San Jose ought to let the veterans Blackwood and Vanecek take nearly all of the time in web, at the least in the beginning of the season. Their expertise makes them extra ready to work by means of troublesome stretches and deal with powerful spots, each on and off the ice. Askarov will get his seems to be, however they shouldn’t occur till the workforce has a way of how the protection will play and the unit will get an opportunity to develop chemistry.
Sharks May Make Commerce Throughout Season As a substitute
Whereas the Sharks shouldn’t make a goalie commerce proper now, that doesn’t preclude them from doing so in some unspecified time in the future in the course of the 2024-25 season. If the protection proves to be higher than anticipated early on, or Askarov acquaints himself exceptionally properly in San Jose, then the Sharks ought to discover the choice of buying and selling Blackwood or Vanecek.
Associated: Sharks’ Askarov Commerce Provides New Context to Hertl Deadline Deal
An in-season deal would have a number of advantages. Along with giving Askarov time to develop and show himself, the Sharks might make different groups extra taken with buying and selling. Simply because the Sharks can be evaluating their goaltenders to find out how a lot to play Askarov, the remainder of the league can be judging their very own netminders with the intention to work out their circumstances in web. From there, San Jose may have many choices to maneuver both of their veteran goalies all the way in which as much as the 2025 Commerce Deadline. Final season, many groups appeared on the Sharks as a potential workforce from which to pluck a goalie, with Blackwood’s identify talked about in lots of commerce rumors. The identical may occur this season, and with Vanecek and Blackwood each on expiring contracts, a deal would make much more sense. The Sharks can open up house for Askarov whereas additionally gaining future property and will increase his confidence, as a commerce would show that the franchise is able to decide to him.
The Sharks ought to give Askarov a while within the NHL this season, however can afford to ease him into it. By retaining Blackwood and Vanecek for now, they can provide Askarov the safety he deserves. If the workforce decides that he’s prepared for a larger workload partway by means of the season, then a deal could be the best strategy to go.
Askarov Can Be With Sharks for Many Years
At age 22, Askarov is beneath contract in San Jose for the following three seasons, at which level he’ll change into a restricted free agent. This implies that the Sharks intend to maintain him round for some time and attempt to flip him into the goalie of the long run.
For this plan to work, his time in San Jose has to get off to an excellent begin. A troublesome stretch for him in objective at first of the season could be a brutal strategy to introduce himself to Sharks hockey, and will negatively have an effect on the remainder of the workforce as properly. As a substitute, the Sharks ought to give attention to the Blackwood-Vanecek tandem to start out and might work in Askarov because the season finds a groove, figuring out what to do with the 2 veterans alongside the way in which. It’s a slower strategy that may yield much less by the way in which of quick outcomes, however potentially-dramatic eventual advantages.
