Christmas came early for the Colorado Avalanche this year. In the span of just over a week, general manager Chris MacFarland overhauled his team’s goaltending tandem with a pair of significant trades which better set them up for both short- and long-term success.
The first trade saw the Avalanche acquire veteran backup Scott Wedgewood in exchange for 24-year-old netminder Justus Annunen, a once-promising prospect who has struggled to live up to his potential. The 32-year-old Wedgewood carries a $1.5 million cap hit through the end of next season and owns a .906 save percentage (SV%) over 140 career games.
The second trade involved goaltender Alexandar Georgiev, forward Nikolai Kovalenko, a 2025 fifth-round pick and a 2026 second-round pick going to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, forward Givani Smith, and a 2027 seventh-round pick. Blackwood was a likely trade candidate as a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) next summer, and he will be auditioning for a long-term deal over the rest of the season.
Related: Avalanche Address Goaltending Problems With Georgiev-for-Blackwood Trade
The hope around the organization is that the trades address what was the team’s biggest weakness, and vault them back into Stanley Cup contention. The Avalanche have had six different goalies make an appearance this season, with none of Georgiev (18 games played), Annunen (11), Trent Miner (one), or Kaapo Kahkonen (one) managing to grab a hold of the starting job. The shakiness has resulted in the Avalanche sitting on the border of the playoff line with a record of 18-15-0 through 33 games this season, and warranted major moves in the crease.
What the Avalanche’s new tandem has demonstrated over the past few weeks is that the issue wasn’t actually the team’s overarching defensive structure, but goaltenders experiencing a crisis in both ability and confidence. If they continue to see success, there is no reason that the Avalanche cannot seriously challenge for the 2025 Stanley Cup next spring.
Blackwood & Wedgewood Trades Already Paying Dividends
To fully understand the difference the new and improved tandem has made in a very short time, one must first look at how the previous goaltending platoon fared to start the season.
Georgiev owned a .874 SV% and allowed 6.9 goals above expected (GSAx) over 18 games. Annunen sported a slightly worse .872 SV% and conceded 5.6 more goals than expected over 11 appearances. Both ranked in the bottom 20 leaguewide by GSAx and SV% before being traded and were significant contributors to Colorado’s league-worst .871 team SV%, two full percentage points lower than the league average mark this season (.895).
Even in an increasingly shooter-friendly environment, those are barely acceptable numbers for a rebuilding squad, let alone a Stanley Cup hopeful. Blackwood and Wedgewood have collectively provided elite results in a very small sample size, massively exceeding the baseline expectations of competence.
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In the time since the first trade was made on Nov. 30, Wedgewood has made five appearances for the Avalanche while Blackwood has made two. Among goalies to have played in at least two games since the trade, Wedgewood ranks ninth in SV% (.931), eighth in goals-against average (1.92 GAA), and eighth in GSAx (plus-4.84). Blackwood has been just as good in his brief time with the Avalanche, posting a .937 SV% and saving 1.2 goals above expected since being traded on Dec. 9.
When isolating the team’s results to the few weeks following the acquisition of Wedgewood (which includes Georgiev’s final three games), the Avalanche rank 10th in SV% and won five of their nine games over that time. They have a collective .933 SV% in the games Georgiev did not appear in, a mark which would lead the league over the same time frame.
While it’s foolish to bet on Colorado’s recent stretch of elite goaltending continuing at this level for the entire season, the team’s defensive structure creates a friendly environment for netminders, despite what their gaudy goals against numbers might suggest. They rank fifth in shots and scoring chances against per-60-minutes in all situations, rates which are in stark contrast to their 3.43 goals against per-60 (fourth-worst).
If one believes that the statistics paint an accurate picture of the Avalanche’s defensive situation, then getting league-average goaltending from a new tandem should be possible. If not, another wasted season of the team’s vaunted core will go down the drain with Mikko Rantanen‘s contract negotiations looming over proceedings.
Avalanche’s Championship Hopes Riding on New Goaltending Tandem
Now that the Avalanche have survived the early injury crisis and replaced their previous goaltending tandem, their internal issues have mostly been solved. What a fully healthy forward group and a reliable duo in the crease do not address is the difficult road to the 2025 Stanley Cup Final.
Three of the top four, five of the top nine, and eight of the top 14 teams in the league by points percentage (PTS%) hail from the Western Conference, all of which are currently ahead of the Avalanche who sit in 18th. Everyone is aware of Colorado’s firepower and the playoff reputation of their resident superstars. What is less uncertain is the play between the pipes, something that was a concern even during the dominant 2022 Stanley Cup run.
If that issue is resolved for good or at the very least this season, the Avalanche should believe in their chances to reascend to the top of the NHL mountain.
Data courtesy of Evolving Hockey, Natural Stat Trick, and the NHL.
