Avalanche make another goalie trade, ship Georgiev out of town
Dec 9, 2024, 1:25 PM | Updated: Dec 17, 2024, 1:58 pm
The Colorado Avalanche have made their second goalie trade in 10 days.
And this one is bigger than swapping backup Justus Annunen for backup Scott Wedgewood.
The Avs are acquiring Mackenzie Blackwood from the San Jose Sharks and shipping starter Alexandar Georgiev out of town. Blackwood’s played 215 NHL games over his seven-year career and has an 81-91-25 record. He gives up 3.07 goals per game and has a .904 save percentage.
Right now, Blackwood plays on a bad Sharks team, so his record this season is 6-9-3. Blackwood is giving up exactly 3.00 goals per game and has a .909 save percentage.
Georgiev struggled for Colorado this year, giving up 3.38 goals per game and posting just an .874 save percentage. He had been pulled multiple times by head coach Jared Bednar, including just last week when the Avs were down 4-0 in Buffalo. Wedgewood came in and Colorado rallied for a 5-4 victory.
Now, Georgie is gone and Blackwood is in.
We have traded Alexandar Georgiev and Nikolai Kovalenko to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Mackenzie Blackwood and Givani Smith. pic.twitter.com/04rknVkWGX
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) December 9, 2024
Also included in the trade from Colorado is Nikolai Kovalenko, a young player that has potential and probably wasn’t easy to part with. On the season, Kovalenko had four goals and four assists for the Avs in 28 games.
The Sharks will be giving up Givani Smith to come back to the Avalanche. Smith has suited up in 161 career NHL games and tallied 22 points with the Sharks, Florida Panthers and Detroit Red Wings. A handful of draft picks will also change hands in the deal.
Clearly, president Joe Sakic and GM Chris MacFarland felt it was time for a major shakeup in Colorado’s goalie room. And this trade means the two guys who started the year on the roster at goaltender, Georgiev and Annunen, are both gone.
Blackwood and Wedgewood will be the duo that hopefully can help lead the Avalanche to their second Stanley Cup in four years. And Georgiev will be remembered as the goalie who couldn’t get it done despite a ton of talent around him on the roster.
