Former Rangers goalie shipped to Sharks in stunning trade
Alexandar Georgiev, the former New York Rangers goaltender who led all NHL goalies in wins for the past two seasons, was traded by the Colorado Avalanche to the San Jose Sharks on Monday as part of a deal in exchange for ex-New Jersey Devils goalie (and birthday boy) Mackenzie Blackwood.
Colorado packaged Georgiev, forward Nikolai Kovalenko, a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft and a 2026 second-round pick in 2026 draft to the Sharks. In return, they received Blackwood, forward Givani Smith and a fifth-round draft pick in the 2027 draft.
Each goaltender can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2025. Georgiev is in the final season of a three-year contract he signed after being traded to the Avalanche by the Rangers in July 2022; it has an average annual value of $3.4 million; Blackwood, who turned 28 on Monday, is finishing a two-year deal with an AAV of $2.35 million that he signed after being acquired from the Devils on June 27, 2023.
As part of the deal, Colorado will retain 14 percent of Georgiev’s contract, per the Sharks.
The Rangers traded Georgiev to Colorado after Igor Shesterkin won the Vezina Trophy as the top goalie in the NHL in 2021-22. The native of Belarus led all NHL goalies in wins from 2022-24 with 78, tying Linus Ullmark of the Boston Bruins for the League lead with 40 victories in 2022-23 and leading the League by himself with 38 last season — two more than Shesterkin.
Georgiev piled up all those wins with a lot of help from his friends. The Avalanche have been one of the highest-scoring teams in the NHL for several years, and his 38 wins last season came despite finishing with a save percentage of .897, which was 41st in the NHL among goaltenders who played at least 25 games. He matched that .897 figure in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, when Colorado defeated the Winnipeg Jets in a high-scoring first round but were eliminated by the Dallas Stars in the second.
Shesterkin’s 73 wins during the previous two seasons were five fewer than Georgiev; however, the Rangers goalie had a better goals-against average (2.53 to 2.77) and save percentage (.915 to .908) than his former partner in that span.
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Ex-Rangers goalie Alexandar Georgiev traded away by Avalanche
But Georgiev has regressed this season. He started 1-5-0 before winning six consecutive starts from Nov. 9-27, posting a .901 save percentage and 2.57 GAA during that span. But overall, he was 8-7-0 in 18 appearances (17 starts) with a 3.38 GAA and a save percentage of .874. Among the 50 goaltenders who’ve played in at least 10 games this season, his goals-against average is 44th and his save percentage is 47th. He allowed four or more goals in seven of his 18 games, including Dec. 3 in Buffalo against the Sabres, when he was torched for four in less than 12 minutes before being lifted; Colorado rallied for a 5-4 win.
Over the course of his NHL career, Georgiev has a 144-89-22 record in 272 games with a 2.89 GAA, .907 save percentage and 15 shutouts. He appeared in the NHL All-Star Game in 2024.
The 28-year-olkd played his first five NHL seasons with the Rangers. He initially teamed with Henrik Lundqvist and then was partners with Shesterkin, who just signed a record-breaking eight-year, $92 million contract.
Georgiev won’t have the same kind of firepower in front of him that he had in Colorado. The Avalanche are 16-13-0 and scored 95 goals (but allowed 103) in 29 games; San Jose is 10-15-5 with 82 goals scored (and 108 allowed) in 30 games after finishing last in the overall standings in 2023-24.
Blackwood, who’s been plagued with injuries throughout his career, has played better than his 6-9-3 record and 3.00 GAA would suggest. He saw more than 33 shots per 60 minutes with the Sharks, and his .911 save percentage is 12th among goaltenders who’ve played in 10 or more games. He has one shutout, a 1-0 victory at New Jersey on Nov. 10 in which he made 44 saves. He will be the sixth goaltender used by Colorado this season.
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