Rookie Watch: 1st-year players having success after being traded

The impact several rookies are making in the NHL is one of the major storylines of the 2025-26 season. Each week, NHL.com will examine topics related to this season's class in the Rookie Watch. With the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline at 3 p.m. ET on Friday, NHL.com this week looks at six NHL rookies who were each traded and now making significant contributions with their new team (listed alphabetically):

Yaroslav Askarov, G, San Jose Sharks: Askarov (6-foot-3, 180 pounds) was picked No. 11 by the Nashville Predators in the 2020 NHL Draft and acquired in a trade by the Sharks on Aug. 23, 2024. He's second among rookie goalies in wins (18-16-2) and first in games played (37; all starts). The 23-year-old, who catches with his right hand, has a 3.53 goals-against average and .888 save percentage this season. In November, he went 8-2-0 with a 1.88 GAA and .947 save percentage in 10 games.

Sharks coach Ryan Warsofky likes the fact Askarov and Alex Nedeljkovic have competed and complemented each other to earn starts this season.

"I think competition drives you to be great and I think that's what we're seeing right now," Warsofky said. "I knew ‘Ned’ would be that type of guy and ‘Asky’ is just as competitive. I think it's a great duo we got. They support each other when they're in the net, and with our schedule, we're going to use both of them."

Askarov is coming off a season where he dominated in the American Hockey League (2.45 GAA, .923 save percentage in 22 games) with the San Jose Barracuda. He went 4-6-2 with 3.10 GAA and .896 save percentage in 13 NHL games (12 starts) last season before going 3-2 with an AHL-best 1.68 GAA and .935 save percentage in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Zeev Buium, D, Vancouver Canucks: Buium was traded by the Minnesota Wild to the Canucks, along with forwards Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren and a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, for defenseman Quinn Hughes in a blockbuster deal on Dec. 12. In 22 games with the Canucks, the 20-year-old from San Diego, California, has six points (two goals, four assists) and averages 20:18 of ice time. He ranks fourth among rookie defensemen with 20 points (five goals, 15 assists) in 53 games, and second with 12 power-play points (three goals, nine assists).

Buium played a big role in back-to-back gold-medal winning efforts by the United States at the 2024 and 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship; he had 11 points (five goals, six assists) and was plus-21 in 14 games. Buium had six points (two goals, four assists) and was plus-10 in seven games at the 2025 WJC, averaging 25:13 of ice time.

Linus Karlsson, C, Vancouver Canucks: The right-shot forward (6-1, 178), selected in the third round (No. 87) by the Sharks in the 2018 NHL Draft, is tied for ninth among rookies with 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists) and he averages 11:34 of ice time in 56 games in a middle-six role. The right-handed shot was traded to Vancouver by San Jose in exchange for forward Jonathan Dahlen on Feb. 25, 2019.

Karlsson is tied for seventh among NHL rookies in penalties drawn (14). He remained in Sweden until age 22, scoring 46 points (26 goals, 20 assists) in 52 games in 2021-22 in his final season for Skellefteå in the Swedish Hockey League. Prior to becoming a fulltime NHL player last season, Karlsson scored 148 points (70 goals, 78 assists) in 164 games over three seasons with Abbotsford of the American Hockey League. 

"I always believed in myself," Karlsson said in January. "I knew I could play this good in this league. So, I mean, that’s probably the key. I always believed in myself and now I've got a lot of confidence and can show how good I can play. And just need to keep building. I think I have a lot more to show too."

Fraser Minten, C, Boston Bruins: Minten (6-2, 204) has been one of the League's top defensive rookie forwards this season. Chosen in the second round (No. 38) by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2022 NHL Draft, the 21-year-old was traded to Boston along with a 2025 fourth-round pick (defenseman Vashek Blanar) and a conditional 2026 first-round pick in exchange for defenseman Brandon Carlo on March 7, 2025. Minten is tied for sixth among rookies with 29 points (14 goals, 15 assists) and averages 14:54 of ice time in 59 games.

He can win puck battles against bigger opponents and has transformed into a solid third-line center for the Bruins behind Elias Lindholm and Pavel Zacha. He ranks second among rookies in face-off winning percentage (48.4; minimum 350 face-offs) and face-off wins (266) with 568 face-offs taken. His impressive resume away from the puck includes ranking second among first-year players in takeaways (24), is fourth in hits (106), and tied for 14th in blocked shots (38).

Arturs Silovs, G, Pittsburgh Penguins: The 24-year-old (6-4, 208) was chosen by the Vancouver Canucks in the sixth round (No. 156) of the 2019 NHL Draft and traded to the Penguins on July 13, 2025, for Chase Stillman and a fourth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. He is 13-7-8 with a 2.75 GAA and .902 save percentage with one shutout in 28 games (all starts) for Pittsburgh. He also leads all rookie goalies with two points (two assists).

With Abbotsford of the American Hockey League in 2024-25, Silovs won the Calder Cup championship and was named playoff MVP after posting a 16-7 record, 2.01 goals-against average, and .931 save percentage. He was one of the first six players named to Team Latvia ahead of the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, finishing 1-1 with a 3.01 GAA and .872 save percentage in three games for his country. At the 2023 IIHF World Championship, he went 7-3-0 with a 2.20 GAA and a .921 save percentage and was awarded most valuable player and best goaltender, leading Latvia to the bronze medal.

"I'm just working hard," Silovs said. "It's hard to win in this League and everyone understands that. I think guys have been clicking really well. Having a goalie partner like (Stuart Skinner) has given confidence. I think we have pretty good chemistry, at practice we lift each other up, and the camaraderie is to the next level."

Justin Sourdif, RW, Washington Capitals: Capable of playing center or wing, Sourdif ranks eighth among NHL rookies with 26 points (12 goals, 14 assists) in 58 games. He's currently playing center on the third line alongside Anthony Beauvillier and Ryan Leonard and averaging 14:32 in ice time. The 23-year-old forward (6-0, 195) was drafted by the Florida Panthers in the second round (No. 87) of the 2020 NHL Draft and traded to the Capitals for a second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and a sixth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft on June 26, 2025. The right-handed shot ranks sixth among rookies in face-off winning percentage (46.0 percent; minimum 350 face-offs taken).

He scored three goals in a 7-4 win against the Anaheim Ducks on Jan. 5 to become the ninth rookie in franchise history to have a hat trick and the first since Alex Ovechkin on Jan. 13, 2006, also against the Ducks. 

"He's earned the opportunity that he's getting with how he's played and how he's performed," Washington coach Spencer Carbery said. "It wasn't handed to him early in the season (when he was playing wing on the fourth line) and sometimes circumstance provides opportunity for young players and it's on them to take advantage of that, and that's exactly what he's done with it."