Don’t sound the alarm however the Colorado Avalanche opened the 2024-25 NHL season with a convincing 8-4 loss by the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights and at the moment sit third-last within the league standings. With out being too targeted on the end result of a single recreation, it’s essential to notice the lingering goaltending storyline is already rearing its head early on within the season.
Beginning goalie Alexandar Georgiev was pulled from the online after conceding 5 targets on the primary 16 photographs and his poor play reignited fan dialogue round his place within the lineup and future with the group. The blame for the targets in opposition to can’t absolutely be heaped onto Georgiev as some defensive miscues magnified the difficulty, however extra is required from him if a Stanley Cup run is within the staff’s future.
Associated: 3 Issues the Avalanche Must Repair After Season Opener
Georgiev is an unrestricted free agent (UFA) following the conclusion of this season and isn’t assured to return to Colorado subsequent season. Let’s dive into what the primary recreation represented, and what the long run holds for the connection between Georgiev and the Avalanche.
Georgiev’s Opening Evening Efficiency A part of an Unsettling Development
Shell-shocked Avalanche followers might have been yanked again to Georgiev’s efficiency in Recreation 1 of their first-round playoff sequence versus the Winnipeg Jets when the Russian netminder surrendered seven targets on 23 photographs. His meltdown prompted a public call-out from head coach Jared Bednar and he recovered to publish a decent .910 save share (SV%) within the Avalanche’s 10 different postseason video games (they misplaced to the Dallas Stars in six video games in Spherical 2).
Nonetheless, performances corresponding to these in opposition to the Golden Knights and the Jets have change into extra commonplace from Georgiev since his stellar debut season with the Avalanche. His regular-season SV% dropped from a glowing .918 to a subpar .897 final season whereas his goals-against common (GAA) rose from 2.53 to three.02 to complete within the backside half of all certified goalies in 2023-24 (minimal 10 video games performed).
Georgiev additionally struggled together with his consistency throughout his sophomore season. He allowed three or extra targets in a recreation on 37 events in 2023-24, six extra instances than in 2022-23 regardless of showing in only one extra recreation than the season prior. He additionally allowed 4 or extra targets in a recreation 25 instances final season, a noticeable enhance from the 16 instances that occurred in 2022-23.
An prolonged run of poor play has slashed Georgiev’s worth, however he might nonetheless earn a sizeable increase on the $3.4 million common annual worth hooked up to his present contract if he and the staff shelve the forgettable season-opening efficiency. Given the state of the organizational depth chart, his spot within the crease is all however assured.
2024-25 Season May Be Annunen’s Alternative to Break Out
Sizzling on Georgiev’s tail is 24-year-old netminder Justus Annunen, the Avalanche’s high prospect on the place. The younger Finnish goalie will lastly shed that label after showing in 14 video games final season, and he might pressure his older modern out of the crease by the top of the marketing campaign, although he additionally allowed two targets on 4 photographs in reduction in opposition to the Golden Knights.
Annunen solely has 19 NHL video games to his identify, however boasts profession marks of a 2.68 GAA, .911 SV%, and 6.71 targets saved above anticipated (GSAx). He stands out as the group’s goalie of the long run, however throwing him into the deep finish throughout a marketing campaign through which a deep playoff run is predicted is probably going undesirable on the staff’s finish.
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The Avalanche have a number of intriguing video games in opposition to the bottom-feeding Columbus Blue Jackets (Oct. 12), Anaheim Geese (Oct. 18), San Jose Sharks (Oct. 20), and the Chicago Blackhawks (Oct. 28), so Annunen might have the chance to construct his case for the beginning function prior to anticipated if Georgiev continues to falter.
Annunen is underneath contract by way of subsequent season and counts for $0.837 million in opposition to the cap. He might be a restricted free agent (RFA) upon the expiry of his deal and may stay with the group in some capability barring an abrupt reversal in type.
Kahkonen Claimed off of Waivers as Insurance coverage Coverage
Although the timing of the transfer might have been a coincidence reasonably than a sign of the entrance workplace’s emotions in direction of the goaltending state of affairs, 28-year-old netminder Kaapo Kahkonen was claimed off of waivers Friday afternoon from the Jets earlier than taking part in a single recreation for the group. He carries a cap hit of $1 million by way of this season and can change into a UFA this summer season.
Kahkonen owns a profession document of 49-67-15 over 139 video games break up between the Minnesota Wild, the Sharks, and the New Jersey Devils. He owns a profession GAA of three.33 and a SV% of .899 whereas by no means taking part in greater than 37 video games in a single season.
For what it’s price, Kahkonen posted a .923 SV% and a plus-3.85 GSAx over six video games with the Devils final season after being traded from the Sharks on the 2024 Commerce Deadline. This stretch, nonetheless temporary, might be extra indicative of his capacity behind a contender than how he’s appeared backstopping a rebuilding Sharks membership over elements of the final three seasons.
It might be a serious shock if Kahkonen managed to corral the beginning job from both of Georgiev or Annunen, however it might’t damage to see if the entrance workplace can catch lightning in a bottle with the declare.
Avalanche’s Goaltending State of affairs in Flux
That these discussions (nonetheless unfair or reactionary) are taking place so quickly into the brand new marketing campaign is an indictment on the group. Although new contracts had been wanted for plenty of gamers together with Casey Mittelstadt and Jonathan Drouin and the standing of Valeri Nichushkin is seemingly at all times up within the air, addressing the goaltending ought to have been a higher precedence throughout the offseason.
Goaltending has been a sore spot for the Avalanche throughout the Cale Makar period (post-2019), the place Philipp Grubauer, Darcy Kuemper (who received the Stanley Cup in 2022), and Pavel Francouz along with Georgiev and Annunen have all taken a crack on the beginning job over the previous half decade to various impact.
Stanley Cup home windows will be open for a surprisingly-brief time frame and any time not spent making an attempt to capitalize on that chance is time wasted. One in all Georgiev, Annunen, or Kahkonen might simply discover their recreation and change into the long-awaited saviour, however the disaster within the crease might have – and may have – been averted.
Information courtesy of Evolving Hockey, Pure Stat Trick, and the NHL.
