Askarov stopped 27 of 29 shots in Saturday's 4-2 preseason win over the Golden Knights.
Askarov was crucial in keeping the Sharks in the game even though the Golden Knights looked in control for much of the contest. He kept the Golden Knights scoreless in the first period and allowed only Tomas Hertl's power-play tally through 40 minutes despite facing 25 shots over the opening two frames. The 24-year-old will open the 2026-27 season as the Sharks' top-choice goaltender and will look to bounce back after a 2025-26 campaign in which he went 21-20-4 with a 3.63 GAA and a disappointing .883 save percentage over 47 regular-season appearances.