YaroslavAskarov

News: 1 day agoAskarov told reporters Friday that he changed his training regimen and added 10 pounds of muscle in the offseason, Max Miller of NHL.com reports.

Spin: The extra muscle should help Askarov hold up over a longer NHL campaign. He played in 47 games last year, going 21-20-4 with a 3.63 GAA and an .883 save percentage while occasionally sharing the crease with Alex Nedeljkovic. Askarov is poised to compete for starts again early in the year, but if his performance improves, it won't be long before he's the clear No. 1 between the pipes.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Askarov is one of the better young goaltenders in the NHL, although you wouldn't know it by his numbers a season ago. He went 21-20-4 in 47 games for the Sharks, along with a horrific 3.63 GAA and .883 save percentage. In a quest to improve the team defense in front of him, San Jose went out and acquired both Darnell Nurse and Jacob Trouba this offseason. The Sharks are going to score a ton of goals next season given their embarrassment of riches up front, which should lead to plenty of wins for Askarov, although his ratios are likely to be below-average once again. Keep both facts in mind on draft day.