Yaroslav Askarov

This Season So Far

The 2026-27 season has not started. The empty row above is his, and both it and this paragraph fill in on their own from the morning after he first plays: what he has done, what it is worth against his own last season, and the run he is on when the two disagree.

Last Season

47 appearances, 21-20-4, a 3.63 goals-against average and a .8829 save percentage, no shutouts. His career figure across 63 games is .8869.

Over his last 10 appearances, .865 on 296 shots.

The Physical Game

6-3 and 180 pounds, which is tall and very light, and it shows in traffic — he is moved in his crease and struggles to hold his post through contact.

The athleticism is genuine and it is what got him drafted 11th overall as a goaltender, which almost never happens. He makes saves nobody else makes and concedes goals nobody else concedes.

Rebound control is the weakest part and it is the one that costs most behind a young defence.

The Mental Game

He was the best goaltending prospect in the world at 19, forced a trade out of Nashville at 22, and has now had a full season as an NHL starter at .883.

The Intangibles

San Jose conceded 190 goals at 5-on-5 against an expected 169.8 — its goaltending came in 20 goals worse than the chances it faced, fourth-worst in the league. Nedeljkovic stopped .8961 and Comrie .8899 behind the same defence, so the club’s number is not one man’s.

But .8829 across 47 appearances is the fourth-lowest figure of any goaltender who played 40 times — behind only Binnington, Lankinen and Bobrovsky — and .865 across the last 10 is worse still.

He is 24. There is a great deal of time and, so far, no evidence.