San Jose Sharks Confirm They Will Cut Ties With Controversial Goaltender

San Jose Sharks general manager Mike Grier is not wasting any time building his roster for next season.

Grier has told veteran goaltender Alexandar Georgiev that he won't be re-signed, cutting short his brief time with the club, per The Mercury News' Curtis Pashelka.

Acquired in December in a trade that sent Mackenzie Blackwood to Colorado, Georgiev played in 31 games for the Sharks, recording a 7-19-4 record with a .875 save percentage and 3.88 goals-against average.

Combined with his play for the Avalanche earlier this season, he finishes 2024-25 with a 15-26-4 record, a .875 save percentage, and a 3.71 GAA.

The 29-year-old, signed originally by the Rangers in 2017 as an undrafted free agent, has appeared in 303 career NHL games with New York, Colorado, and San Jose. He is 151-108-26 career-wise with a .903 save percentage, 2.98 GAA, and 15 shutouts.

This made him a controversial figure among many fans, who wanted to see more play from Yaroslav Askarov.

Looking ahead, the Sharks are expected to hand the starter's role to 22-year-old Yaroslav Askarov.

Acquired in a trade last August from Nashville, the one-time 11th overall pick (2020) went 4-6-2 with a .896 save percentage and 3.10 GAA in 13 NHL games this season.

He also performed well in the AHL with the San Jose Barracuda, registering an 11-9-1 record with a .923 save percentage, 2.45 GAA, and four shutouts.

In 16 NHL games across his career with Nashville and San Jose, Askarov is 5-7-2 with a .899 save percentage and 3.01 GAA.