Sharks Should Wait to Trade Blackwood or Vanecek – The Hockey Writers – San Jose Sharks

At a time when most NHL teams have largely finalized their core rosters with only the final spots to be determined, the San Jose Sharks may still be making moves. The team’s acquisition of goaltending prospect Yaroslav Askarov significantly altered their picture in net, and led to speculation that a notable trade could be on the horizon. Specifically, the Sharks might try to trade one of their more experienced goalies, Mackenzie Blackwood or Vitek Vanecek, in order to open up more playing time for Askarov at the NHL level.

This idea has some validity at first glance, but a closer examination suggests San Jose would be better served to hold off on doing so for now. They should at least start the season with all three goalies on the roster, and can revisit a potential trade later. This more patient approach will create more work in the near future, but can create a highly positive impact on the team’s long-term success.

Throwing Askarov Into Current Sharks Might Be Unfair

The Sharks appear to be improved from last season, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be a contender. Most of their upgrades came on offense, and the defense faces a lot more question marks. Although Askarov might already be their best goalie, they don’t need to rush his development, particularly when considering the defense he’ll be backstopping. San Jose’s blue line consists of a lot of spare parts and promising but unproven prospects. It is a defense that will make mistakes and allow a lot of shots, many of which will be of the high-danger variety. They could be looking at a retread of last season, when Blackwood turned in a number of excellent performances but couldn’t keep up behind a group of defenders that asked him to do far too much work.

Putting Askarov into this situation would start his Sharks career at a disadvantage. It could lead to a loss of confidence, stunt his development, and cause tension between him and the organization. If opponents are piling up goals on him and he feels helpless, his morale could drop very low — bad for any young player, and especially one who has faced concerns about his maturity.

San Jose should let the veterans Blackwood and Vanecek take the majority of the time in net, at least at the start of the season. Their experience makes them more…