The San Jose Sharks continue to trudge through a difficult start to a season after finishing at the bottom of the NHL standings in each of the last two seasons.
Following Saturday night's setback at the hands of the Vancouver Canucks, they now sit at 3-8-2 through the first 13 games of the campaign. To make matters more difficult, they've been without top overall Draft selection Macklin Celebrini since the first game of the season with an injury.
Once again, Sharks general manager Mike Grier has his work cut out for him as he attempts to bring the franchise back to relevance. He's already excluded one trade so far this season, acquiring defenseman Timothy Liljegren from the Toronto Maple Leafs. But there ought to be more that he's considering in terms of personnel moves.
After finishing at the bottom of the NHL standings for two consecutive seasons, the Sharks have cycled through several goaltenders, including James Reimer, MacKenzie Blackwood, Kaapo Kähkönen, and Vitek Vanecek. Currently, both Blackwood and Vanecek are under contract for this season, but neither seems to be a long-term solution for the rebuilding franchise. Vitek Vanecek
The Sharks acquired former Nashville Predators prospect goaltender Yaroslav Askarov in a trade prior to the season and signed him to a two-year extension. With that being said, it's time to look toward the future.
Yaroslav Askarov could be San Jose's long-term solution in net
The Sharks need a franchise goaltender who can help them return to the sustained success they enjoyed last decade. Askarov could fill that void, especially since the team isn't tied down to either Blackwood or Vanecek on a long-term basis.
Thanks to his strong numbers in the American Hockey League, Askarov was awarded “Goaltender of the Month” honors for the month of October; he won all five of his starts, posting an impressive goals-against average of 1.20 along with an equally impressive .959 save percentage.
The Sharks should trade either Vitek Vanecek or MacKenzie Blackwood
As stated, neither Blackwood nor Vanecek appears to be a long-term solution for the Sharks, and both are playing on expiring contracts. There are several teams across the NHL looking to boost their goaltending depth and who may be willing to take either goaltender's expiring deal.
A native of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Blackwood was originally selected 42nd overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 2015 NHL Draft. He spent the first five seasons of his career with the Devils, though significant time was lost due to a lower-body injury.
Meanwhile, Vanecek has bounced around the NHL in recent years, having gone from the Washington Capitals to the Devils and to the Sharks, all within three seasons. His numbers aren't spectacular this season, currently sporting a 1-4 record with a 3.65 goals-against average and a .879 save percentage; though his poor numbers can largely be attributed to the struggling team in front of him.
The Sharks could offer Blackwood or Vanecek to teams like the Colorado Avalanche, who are known to be looking for assistance between the pipes. In fact, the Avalanche have been linked to Blackwood in recent weeks, especially given the struggles of starter Alexander Georgiev.
A sufficient trade would be sending Blackwood to Colorado, allowing him to take over the starting duties from Georgiev (on an expiring deal) while allowing Justus Annunen to get more seasoning in the AHL.
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