San Jose Sharks sign Jaroslaw Askarov to the AHL

The San Jose Sharks have made one of the most notable training camp cuts to date. The team announced Today they appointed a goalkeeper Yaroslav Askarov to their AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda, where he will begin the 2024-25 season.

It would normally be surprising for a team to downgrade a trade acquisition so quickly, especially given the price. In late August, the Sharks acquired Askarov from the Nashville Predators Magnus Chrona, David Edstromand Vegas' first-round pick in 2025 before he was guaranteed a two-year, $4 million extension.

The background to this move is that San Jose, while believing Askarov will be the starting goaltender of the future, was injured for much of training camp. The lower-body injury the young goalkeeper sustained in early September has so far prevented him from taking part in pre-season competition. Nevertheless, he should now be able to do it with the Barracuda. He is expected to practice with the team today but will not play in tonight's game against the Bakersfield Condors.

It's more than likely that the Sharks view this demotion as a pseudo-training camp for their young goaltender. Askarov can recover from an injury in a league he has already dominated before making the move to the NHL full-time.

This confirms that San Jose will start the year with Mackenzie Blackwood And Vitek Vanecek as their two goalkeepers. The Sharks should be able to use three goaltenders for most of the regular season, meaning Askarov will get the call-up if he's fully healthy.