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Alexandar Georgiev

Sharks Won’t Re-Sign Alexandar Georgiev

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Sharks general manager Mike Grier has informed goaltender Alexandar Georgiev he won’t be offered a contract extension before reaching unrestricted free agency in July, Georgiev told Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News late last night.

It’s been a difficult two seasons for the 29-year-old. While he led the league in wins in back-to-back seasons behind a powerhouse Avalanche team in 2022-23 and 2023-24, he didn’t receive any Vezina Trophy consideration in the latter year due to poor individual stats. The Bulgarian native posted a .897 SV% and 3.02 GAA in 63 games for Colorado last year, below-average numbers at face value. The Avs bled quality chances against more than usual in 2023-24, though, so those stats still translated to 5.0 goals saved above expected on the year, per MoneyPuck.

But heading into 2024-25, Georgiev’s seat in Colorado was hot as he entered the final season of a three-year, $10.2MM deal. Young backup Justus Annunen had outperformed him down the stretch, and he was underwhelming in the Avs’ playoff action. Georgiev had a .894 SV% and 2.95 GAA in 11 games as Colorado was ousted in the second round by the Stars.

Both Georgiev and Annunen were borderline unplayable at the beginning of this year, and both were traded by mid-December. Annunen went to Nashville for veteran backup Scott Wedgewood, while Georgiev was sent to the Sharks in a deal for Mackenzie Blackwood after posting a porous .874 SV%, 3.38 GAA, and an 8-7-0 record through 17 starts and one relief appearance.

As expected, things only improved marginally for Georgiev behind one of the league’s worst defenses in San Jose. He was a workhorse for the team with top prospect Yaroslav Askarov and backup Vítek Vaněček missing significant time with injuries (and the latter ended up being traded to the Panthers at the deadline), starting 30 of 52 games after the trade. He logged a 7-19-4 record, a .875 SV%, and a 3.88 GAA. Across 49 showings on the year, his lowest workload since 2021-22, he allowed 17.9 goals above expected, according to MoneyPuck. Only the Flyers’ Samuel Ersson (19.9) conceded more.

With Askarov primed to take on a starter/1A role in the NHL next season and more stable backup options available on the free agent market, it makes sense that the Sharks wouldn’t be interested in bringing Georgiev back to the organization. Whether there will be NHL offers available for Georgiev remains to be seen. There might be a couple of teams banking on a rebound to at least league-average play amid a relatively thin goalie market this summer, but otherwise, a return to Europe may be in the cards. Before arriving in North America with the Rangers as an undrafted free agent in 2017, he was a star in Finland’s Liiga with TPS, posting a .920 SV% across 51 games there.

Photo courtesy of D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images.

San Jose Sharks Reassign Gabriel Carriere

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Apr. 4th: Unfortunately, Carriere’s first recall will end without his NHL debut, as the Sharks have reassigned him back to AHL San Jose.

Apr. 3rd: The Sharks announced they’ve recalled goaltender Gabriel Carriere from AHL San Jose. He’ll back up Georgi Romanov tonight against the Oilers while starter Alexandar Georgiev is scratched due to an upper-body injury, head coach Ryan Warsofsky told reporters (including Max Miller of The Hockey News).

Carriere’s first NHL recall comes weeks after his first NHL contract. The 24-year-old Ottawa native got a two-way deal from the Sharks on deadline day to make him recall-eligible for the remainder of 2024-25. He’s been in their system on an AHL contract since the end of last season, when he signed as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Vermont.

The Sharks needed another goaltender under contract after trading backup Vítek Vaněček to the Panthers last month, and top prospect Yaroslav Askarov remains unavailable due to the lower-body injury he suffered while on an AHL assignment in mid-February. His absence is drawing to a close soon, though. Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News confirmed today that Askarov traveled with the Sharks’ farm team on their road trip and should make his return in the coming days.

That paves the way for Carriere to see his name on an NHL roster and earn a big-league paycheck for the day, although he’s unlikely to see game action. It’s still been a promising season for Carriere, who was quite good while on assignment to ECHL Wichita to begin the season until his services were needed in the AHL following Askarov’s injury. He posted a 2.60 GAA, .922 SV%, three shutouts, and a 14-9-2 record in 25 appearances for Wichita. Things haven’t gone as well in the AHL with the Barracuda, where Carriere has a .893 SV% and 3.13 GAA in 19 showings with an 8-8-3 record.

Carriere will be a restricted free agent this summer with arbitration rights. He’s likely done well enough in the ECHL to earn a qualifying offer from San Jose, but that remains to be seen. Askarov, who signed a two-year, $4MM extension when the Sharks acquired him from the Predators last August, is the only goaltender under contract with San Jose for next season. He’s a virtual lock for their opening night roster after again excelling in the AHL and looking strong in his NHL viewings this year (.896 SV%, 1.7 GSAx, 3.10 GAA in 13 GP).

Avalanche, Sharks Swap Alexandar Georgiev, Mackenzie Blackwood

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The Colorado Avalanche and San Jose Sharks have gotten together on a big trade regarding their creases. The Avalanche announced they’ve acquired Mackenzie Blackwood, Givani Smith, and a 2027 fifth-round pick from the San Jose Sharks for Alexandar Georgiev, Nikolai Kovalenko, a 2026 second-round pick, and a 2025 fifth-round pick.

It’s quite rare to see an NHL organization entirely move out the netminders they started the year with but that’s exactly what the Avalanche did by early December. Colorado began the year with a combination of Georgiev and Justus Annunen but the two have been replaced with Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood.

The Avalanche have had the league’s worst goaltending this season and it’s not particularly close. Colorado sits dead last in the league with a .866 save percentage and 29th in goals against per game with 3.55.

Blackwood should help considerably in that department. He’s managed a 6-9-3 record with the Sharks this year coupled with a .909 SV% and 3.00 GAA. He’s given up 53 goals this year in San Jose but some of that can be attributed to the poor performance in front of him as his xGA is only 39.7 according to Hockey Reference.

Colorado’s defense has been more than capable of only allowing 766 shots on their netminders this season ranking 11th in the league. They’ll also shed some salary in the deal which is another bonus. TSN’s Chris Johnston reports that the Avalanche retained 14% ($476K) of Georgiev’s remaining salary so the organization will save roughly $700K in the swap.

Smith also provides some flexibility for Colorado toward the bottom of the lineup. He cleared waivers earlier today (as per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman) and can be moved between the Avalanche and their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles, unencumbered for the next 30 days.

The real surprise in this deal is Georgiev. His inclusion was likely necessary for the Avalanche given their salary cap picture and the lack of desire to carry three netminders on the active roster. Still, it felt like the perfect opportunity for the Sharks to make an opening for prospect Yaroslav Askarov on the NHL roster.

He’s easily having the worst season of his career and will be limping into unrestricted free agency next summer. He’s produced an 8-7-0 record for the Avalanche this year but has a dismal .874 SV%. Georgiev may find more success with less pressure to win in San Jose but this isn’t the year he’d like to have considering his next contract is at stake.

The real prize in this deal for San Jose is Kovalenko. He was a sixth-round pick by Colorado in the 2018 NHL Draft but didn’t come to North America until last year. He saw his ice time reduced in recent weeks as the Avalanche drift toward a healthy lineup but still carries plenty of pedigree as a prospect.

His final two years in the Kontinental Hockey League were especially good. Kovalenko scored 32 goals and 89 points in 98 games with the KHL’s Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod from 2022 to 2024. He’ll likely push for top-six minutes with the Sharks which was a prohibited pathway in Colorado.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report Blackwood had been traded to Colorado. 

Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now was the first to report Smith and SJ’s 2027 fifth-round were also in the deal. 

Peng was the first to report Georgiev, Kovalenko, and draft capital were headed back to the Sharks. 

Avalanche Activate Alexandar Georgiev, Reassign T.J. Tynan

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The Avalanche announced Thursday that they’ve activated goaltender Alexandar Georgiev from injured reserve. Forward T.J. Tynan is returning to AHL Colorado to open a spot on the active roster.

Georgiev, 28, last played on Nov. 13. He missed the previous two games with an upper-body injury. However, he will be available tonight against the Capitals, as Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette said was possible yesterday.

The Bulgarian netminder’s already-subpar regular season numbers from 2023-24 have only tanked further so far this season. Among goalies with at least 10 appearances, Georgiev’s .863 SV% ranks last in the league, and his -9.1 goals saved above expected are second-worst behind Connor Ingram’s -10.9, per MoneyPuck.

However, the tide for Georgiev had been turning before his injury. He’d started four games in a row and put up a 3-1-0 record with a .913 SV%, bringing his year-to-date SV% up from a dreadful .822 mark.

Kevin Mandolese remains on the roster as a No. 3 for now, presumably for insurance in case Georgiev re-aggravates his injury. He could remain with the team through the rest of their road trip, which wraps up in Tampa on Monday.

Tynan, 32, was recalled ahead of Colorado’s last game, a 3-2 win over the Flyers on Monday, but he didn’t play. The Illinois native has made seven appearances for the Avs this season in between call-ups while injuries ravaged their forward corps, recording an assist and a -1 rating while averaging 7:47 per game. He’s yet to score in eight AHL contests this season but has seven assists.

Evening Notes: Wilsby, Georgiev, Makar

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The Nashville Predators have announced that they’ve sent defenseman Adam Wilsby to the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League. The 24-year-old had been up with the team since November 13th but didn’t see any NHL action. The fourth-round pick in 2020 is in his third professional season in North America and has dressed in 11 AHL games this year with Milwaukee, tallying a goal and two assists to go along with a +4 rating.

The Stockholm, Sweden native has yet to see NHL action in three seasons with the Predators organization but remains someone that team management is high on despite his lack of offensive production. Wilsby has impressed in the AHL with his skating, gap control, and defending in his zone and will likely see another call-up soon.

In other evening notes:

  • Colorado Avalanche netminder Alexandar Georgiev took part in the team’s skate today and could be an option tomorrow in Washington depending on how he feels tonight and tomorrow (as per Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette). The development suggests that Colorado is optimistic about the 28-year-old’s recovery and potential return to the lineup. The Avalanche badly need some better goaltending as the team has the worst save percentage in the entire NHL. Georgiev also has a vested interest in turning around the team’s fortune as he is just over seven months away from unrestricted free agency.
  • Sticking with the Avalanche, David Satriano of NHL.com writes that defenseman Cale Makar is the early favourite to capture the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman. NHL.com held a 15-person panel to vote on the early season winners and Makar came out ahead of Quinn Hughes and Josh Morrissey. Makar was the NHL’s First Star of the Month in October and began the season with an 11-game point streak that saw him register four goals and 15 assists. Makar is now up to eight goals and 19 assists in 19 games, which is a big reason Colorado has been able to keep pace in the Western Conference despite league-worst goaltending and a litany of injury issues.

Avalanche Place Alexandar Georgiev On IR, Recall Two

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The Colorado Avalanche have placed starting goaltender Alexandar Georgiev (upper-body) on injured reserve, retroactive to November 13th. Georgiev sat out of the team’s Friday loss to Washington. This move rules Georgiev out of the team’s Monday match against Philadelphia, though head coach Jared Bednar told Colleen Flynn of Colorado Hockey Now that the netminder will join the team on their upcoming four-game road trip. He’ll be eligible to return as soon as Thursday.

This move downgrades Georgiev to an extended absence after he received a day-to-day designation on Saturday. He’s started 10 games this season, setting a bleak 4-5-0 record, .863 save percentage, and 3.56 goals-against-average. It’s a continuation of the skid that he hit last season and the prolonged struggles are starting to cost Georgiev ice time. Backup Justus Annunen has played in nine games this year, posting an improved .881 save percentage and 5-3-0 record.

In a corresponding move, Colorado has also recalled forward T.J. Tynan and goaltender Kevin Mandolese. Mandolese will become the fifth goaltender to take to the Avalanche bench this season, earning the chance after posting a 4-2-0 record and .905 save percentage in six AHL games this season – one more win, but the same save percentage, as goalie partner Trent Miner in the same number of games. Mandolese has built a hardy career in the minors, posting 32 wins and a .897 save percentage across 72 games, and five seasons, in the AHL. He’s proven even stronger in 15 ECHL games, and even boasts a .916 save percentage through three career appearances in the NHL. With Georgiev’s return likely just around the corner, Mandolese should be confined to a backup role on this recall.

Meanwhile, Tynan will return to offering offensive depth behind Parker Kelly and Joel Kiviranta. Tynan was assigned to the AHL ahead of this weekend, and recorded three assists in the Colorado Eagles’ Saturday win over Ontario. That scoring brought him to seven points – all assists – in eight AHL games this season. He’s also recorded one assist in seven NHL games. Tynan is still searching for his first NHL goal – with just two assists through 28 career games  in the NHL. He’s likely headed for the press box on this recall, unless Bednar chooses to rotate out fourth-line pieces.

Avalanche Re-Assign Trent Miner, Alexandar Georgiev Out Day-To-Day

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11/16: Miner played 34 minutes of Colorado’s loss to the Washington Capitals last night and has been reassigned to the AHL’s Colorado Eagles per a team announcement. The Avalanche don’t have another game until Monday so Miner could return to the NHL level then.

11/15: The Avalanche announced Friday that they’ve recalled goalie Trent Miner from AHL Colorado. He’ll serve as the backup to Justus Annunen tonight against the Capitals. Alexandar Georgiev has been ruled out with an upper-body injury and is day-to-day. The team also confirmed that forward Chris Wagner had been assigned to the AHL after clearing waivers, opening up the roster spot for Miner’s recall.

Miner, 23, will dress for an NHL game for the first time more than five years after the Avalanche selected him in the seventh round of the 2019 draft. The 6’1″ netminder has spent the last three seasons splitting time between the AHL and ECHL Utah, although he got upgraded to a full-time AHL role for 2024-25.

Miner is coming off somewhat of a breakout 2023-24 campaign. He cemented his spot on this year’s AHL roster during an 18-game call-up from the ECHL last season, during which he shut the door with a 2.10 GAA, .930 SV%, one shutout, and a 9-6-1 record. He was set to become a restricted free agent last summer, but the Avs inked him to a two-way extension in May.

So far this season, Miner has split AHL duties with offseason trade acquisition Kevin Mandolese. He’s been outplayed by the new guy but has still put up decent numbers, logging a 2.34 GAA, .905 SV%, and a 3-2-1 record in six games.

Meanwhile, the injury is unfortunate timing for Georgiev. The 28-year-old had been getting his feet under him after a disastrous start to the season and had started four games in a row, posting a strong .913 SV% over that stretch. He played all 60 minutes in Colorado’s last game against the Kings on Wednesday, so it’s unclear when he sustained the injury.

With a .863 SV% and -8.8 GSAA, Georgiev has still been quite underwhelming on the whole this season. The Bulgaria-born netminder didn’t receive a single Vezina Trophy last year despite leading the league with 38 wins due to his subpar .897 SV% and career-worst -11.9 GSAA.

Avalanche Notes: Landeskog, Makar, Georgiev

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Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar is hopeful that forward Gabriel Landeskog will be back at some point this season (as per Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette). Landeskog suffered a setback (as per TSN) during his recovery from a knee injury that has kept him off the ice for over two years. The 31-year-old underwent knee surgery shortly after the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in 2022 and his knee eventually required a cartilage transplant in May 2023.

Landeskog’s recovery has been an on-again-off-again ordeal that has required a great deal of patience. Anytime Landeskog has felt discomfort he has stopped skating to rest his ailing knee.

In other Colorado Avalanche notes:

  • Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar will travel with the club for their game tomorrow night, but it appears as though he will be a game-time decision (as per Ryan Boulding of NHL.com). The Avalanche take on the red-hot Winnipeg Jets tomorrow night as they try to climb back to .500. The 26-year-old left last night’s 6-3 win over Seattle after a single shift in the third period and is okay to travel, but he and the Avalanche will proceed with caution and see how he feels tomorrow before making a call on his status.
  • The Avalanche are set to start netminder Alexandar Georgiev when they take on the Winnipeg Jets tomorrow night (as per Ryan Boulding of NHL.com). Georgiev has struggled immensely to start the season, sporting a 1-4-0 record with a .822 save percentage and a 4.62 goals-against average. In his last start, the 28-year-old stopped 21 of 24 shots as the Avalanche fell 5-2 to the Chicago Blackhawks. Georgiev is in the final season of a three-year deal and is currently carrying a $3.4MM cap hit this season. He will be an unrestricted free agent next summer and will need to turn his season around if he hopes to cash in on the open market in 2025.

Avalanche Notes: Rantanen, Landeskog, Lehkonen, Annunen

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When asked about a potential contract extension, star Colorado Avalanche winger Mikko Rantanen has shared that he plans to stay in Denver for the foreseeable future and that the business side of things will sort itself out, per Aarif Deen of Mile High Sports.

Rantanen is coming off yet another career year, posting 42 goals and 104 points – just one point shy of the career high he sent last season, though he played in two fewer games this year. He’s emerged as the clear 1B to Nathan MacKinnon’s 1A – giving Colorado one of the most formidable top lines in the league. Rantanen has climbed to 617 points in 570 career games – with 301 of those points coming in the last three seasons alone. He seems focused on repeating the dominant scoring this season, confident that a new deal with Avalanche will come to fruition when necessary.

Other notes out of the Mile High City:

  • Head coach Jared Bednar spoke with the media ahead of Colorado’s start to training camp and among the updates, shared that there’s no news on team captain Gabriel Landeskog per Deen. Bednar mentioned that Landeskog has made big strides but that the situation remains up in the air. He hasn’t played since June of 2022, supporting Colorado’s run to the 2022 Stanley Cup after a trio of injury-shortened seasons. He’s an incredibly effective scorer when he plays, scoring 30 goals and 59 points in 51 games in his most recent season. That’s the production that fans have come to expect from their captain, leading Landeskog to 571 points across 738 career games. There’s hope that he can return to the top flight soon, though it seems he’ll need to overcome more hurdles before he’s back in the NHL.
  • Winger Artturi Lehkonen isn’t expected to attend training camp as he continues recovering from a shoulder injury that required surgery in May, shares Meghan Angley of The DNVR.com. Lehkonen only appeared in 45 games last season, but still managed an admirable 16 goals and 34 points. He’s flashed strong scoring over the last three seasons, totaling 123 points in 183 games split between Montreal and Colorado. He’ll sit out of the team’s training camp, hoping to return to a solid lineup role once he’s healthy.
  • Bednar also shared high remarks for top goalie prospect Justus Annunen, sharing that he could eat into starter Alexandar Georgiev’s workload, shares Angley. Georgiev has played in 125 games over the last two seasons,  recording a modest 78 wins and .908 save percentage. Annunen split time between the NHL and AHL last season, posting an impressive .928 save percentage in the outings. He emerged as a top-end AHL starter in 2022-23, with 22 wins and a .916 save percentage in 41 appearances. It’s not clear how the Avalanche will platoon their netminders this year, but Annunen’s recent success could be too much for Colorado to ignore.

West Notes: Georgiev, Vatrano, Maroon

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While Alexandar Georgiev is now extension-eligible as he’s entering the final year of his contract, Mile High Sports’ Aarif Dean suggests that it’s unlikely he gets an early deal.  With Mikko Rantanen also needing a new contract for 2025-26, his situation is likely the priority while the uncertainty surrounding Gabriel Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin makes it less likely that Avalanche GM Chris MacFarland will want to commit a multi-year deal to Georgiev this early.  The 28-year-old is also coming off a tough year, one that saw him post a 3.02 GAA and a .897 SV% in 63 games; he led the NHL in goals allowed with 183 but also had the most wins (38) for the second straight season.

More from the Western Conference:

  • Ducks winger Frank Vatrano has been a strong performer in his first two years with Anaheim, putting up 41 points in 2021-22 before a breakout 37-goal, 60-point showing last season. He’s now eligible for a contract extension and has made it known his preference is to stay with Anaheim.  Derek Lee of The Hockey News assesses Vatrano’s situation, suggesting that the four-year, $22MM contract that Tyler Bertuzzi inked with Chicago this summer could serve as a comparable for Vatrano’s camp if he can put up another 20-goal performance.  Cap space isn’t an issue for the Ducks right now but assuming they’ll be out of the playoff mix again this coming season, they’ll have to decide between extending him or moving Vatrano as a rental for what would likely be a strong return.
  • Veteran forward Pat Maroon signed a one-year, $1.3MM contract with the Blackhawks early in free agency which will be the 14th season of his career. The 36-year-old told Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times that he’s not focusing beyond the coming season and isn’t sure if this will be his final year.  Maroon spent most of 2023-24 with Minnesota before being acquired by Boston at the trade deadline although his injury at the time limited him to just two regular season games.  He had four goals and 11 assists along with 60 penalty minutes in 51 appearances last season.

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