“I’m a Georgie believer. I think he’s a good goaltender.”
Those were the words of Colorado Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland on Monday during a media availability session shortly after announcing another significant goaltending move.
Alexandar Georgiev had been traded to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Mackenzie Blackwood, marking a historic moment as the Avs became the first NHL team to trade both of their starting goaltenders before Christmas.
“Going into the summer, you’re always looking to improve… and we were comfortable with where we were at,” MacFarland explained, reflecting on the team’s initial approach to the season.
Over the course of just over a week, the Colorado Avalanche completely revamped their goaltending corps. With the acquisitions of Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood, the team is taking bold steps to address what MacFarland described as a goaltending situation that “shook us to the core” during a difficult start to the season.
“We came out of the gate really slow,” said MacFarland. “It's not a secret our goaltending has not been up to standard. [Georgiev and Annunen] are two guys who would be the first to tell you that it was inconsistent to start. We felt we had to make a move. So we did… We just felt (that as) more time went on, we owed it to the group…”
Consistency in net was elusive for Colorado as they opened the season with a disappointing record that left them lingering in the middle of the Central Division standings. At one point, their goaltending tandem posted a combined .882 save percentage at 5-on-5—ranking 31st out of 32 NHL teams. This glaring statistic made it clear that changes were necessary, prompting decisive action from the Avs front office.
The trade of Justus Annunen to the Nashville Predators on November 30th marked a turning point for the Avalanche. Once seen as a budding NHL backup—even taking starts from Georgiev this season—Annunen failed to rise to the challenge, and Colorado decided it was time for a change.
Scott Wedgewood, acquired in exchange, brought a more proven presence to the crease. Wedgewood's impact was immediate—posting a 25-save shutout against the New Jersey Devils and helping the Avs to overcome a 0-4 deficit in Buffalo coming in as relief.
MacFarland highlighted Wedgewood’s veteran value, noting his upbeat attitude and experience which adds a veteran presence to their goaltending. His consistency is expected to stabilize a team that was left reeling from the inconsistency of its previous tandem.
Shortly after the Wedgewood deal, Colorado traded Alexandar Georgiev to the San Jose Sharks in a multi-asset deal, acquiring Mackenzie Blackwood in return.
Georgiev’s time in Colorado was a tale of highs and lows. He joined the Avs ahead of the 2022-23 season, stepping into the starting role with confidence during a challenging title defense year marked by injuries to key players. It was his first chance as an NHL starter after playing behind Igor Shesterkin for years in New York. The Avs took a chance on him. His first season, he finished with a 0.919 save percentage.
Georgiev shone at times, even leading the league in wins during stretches of the regular season the following year.
His performance in the 2024 playoffs, particularly following a rocky Game 1 against Winnipeg, was commendable and provided a glimpse of his potential to bounce back in critical moments.
However as the latest season unfolded, cracks began to reemerge. Mental frustration visibly mounted, and occasional on-ice outbursts reflected his struggles to regain consistency. Despite his talent and strong work ethic, the Avs ultimately determined that a fresh start in net was necessary for both the team and Georgiev.
MacFarland emphasized the need for a balanced approach: “Stats are stats. We obviously were aware of our early season goaltending,” he started. “When one guy is maybe going through a tough time, you need the other guy to kind of pick up the slack. It's tough when both guys are struggling. They both did at certain times, but I believe both of them are good goaltenders. We've acquired two goaltenders (that) are different in a few respects.”
Blackwood, 28, has shown flashes of brilliance in a challenging situation with San Jose, recording a .911 save percentage while facing one of the highest shot volumes in the league. This season, he has allowed three goals or fewer in 12 starts while facing an average of 33.0 shots on goal per 60. In Colorado’s 13 losses so far this year, they’ve only lost by fewer than five goals just two times.
MacFarland noted, “He’s young. He’s been outstanding in San Jose this year. … We believe there’s some untapped potential in him as he’s growing as a goaltender.”
Blackwood’s athleticism and size make him an attractive fit for Colorado’s defensive system. MacFarland praised his stylistic compatibility: “He’s a big body. He’s athletic. We think he’s stylistically going to fit really well with how we play.”
Moreover, Blackwood has a history of strong performances against the Avs, which MacFarland jokingly alluded to: “It didn’t hurt any that he’s had some stellar performances against us over the years.”
Blackwood holds a 0.924 save percentage record against Colorado.
Their decision to overhaul their goaltending reflects their urgency to keep pace in the Central Division.
Colorado’s goalie market activity, which MacFarland described as “kicking the tires”, started a few weeks ago and quickly escalated into a dual acquisition. The GM acknowledged the difficulty of in-season goaltender trades: “Teams don’t trade starting goaltenders in this league easily. For us to make these two deals, it was a challenge. Great work by our goaltending department, our scouts, and our analytics team.”
The Avs now possess a contrasting tandem that balances experience and potential. Wedgewood’s veteran reliability complements Blackwood’s physical tools and upside.
Georgiev’s $3.4 million contract and Kovalenko’s entry-level deal worth $896,000 are off the books, replaced by Blackwood’s $2.35 million contract and Smith’s $800,000 deal. This swap trims nearly $1 million from Colorado’s cap space. However, Colorado is retaining 14% of Georgiev’s salary—approximately $476,000—which reduces the overall savings slightly. Both Georgiev and Blackwood are in the final year of their contracts, playing for a renewal.
Meanwhile, Scott Wedgewood has one more year remaining on his $1.5 million deal, providing Colorado with a measure of stability in their goaltending tandem beyond this season.
Reconfiguring their goaltending didn’t come cheap. The Avs acquired Blackwood, forward Givani Smith, and a fifth-round draft pick in the 2027 NHL Draft from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Georgiev, promising forward Nikolai Kovalenko, a 2025 fifth-round draft pick, and a 2026 second-round pick
MacFarland explained the rationale: "You’ve got to give to get. The goalie market is, it’s a bear. … While we weren’t excited to move Nikolai, we just felt that for the opportunity to add Mackenzie, we had to swallow hard and include him in the deal."
For a former sixth round pick, Kovalenko was a success story. He jumped into the NHL readily and demonstrated he could hang with Colorado’s top-six as needed when injuries mounted. In more of a depth role, he brought a solid work ethic making sure to get on top of pucks and battle. His production waned a bit recently with just 4 goals and 4 assists in 28 games, but to reduce his upside because of a lull in his rookie season is bad faith.
Kovalenko is a legitimate NHL’er with 2nd line potential one day. He’ll need time to get there and San Jose is ripe with elevated opportunity to aid him.
The reality is: wingers are replaceable. Forward prospects Ivan Ivan and Nikita Prishchepov (both centermen that can move to wing) made Kovalenko expendable. With Cal Ritchie and Taylar Makar also in the pipeline, there’s an abundance of options at forward.
While it’s a tough decision, the pressing need to address their goaltending instability makes it good business.
Blackwood, currently under the weather, is expected to join the team in Denver after this road trip and could make his debut soon.
The Avalanche hope that the duo of Wedgewood and Blackwood can solidify their position in net and restore the team’s trajectory toward playoff contention. As MacFarland concluded, “We want the player to get settled in here, focus on the hockey, and when the time is right, we’ll certainly see if there’s something that can make sense [long-term].”
MacFarland mentioned not bringing in a goaltender just to play four months of hockey, teasing the very real possibility of an extension.
For a franchise that has already weathered its share of ups and downs this season, the new-look goaltending corps represents a revitalizing fresh start and a continued belief in their championship aspirations.
