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Alexandar Georgiev

Colorado Avalanche Extend Alexandar Georgiev, Jacob MacDonald

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The Colorado Avalanche announced via Twitter that they have extended goaltender Alexandar Georgiev for three years. TSN’s Chris Johnston reports that the deal is expected to carry a $3.4MM AAV and Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reports the salary breakdown to be $3.6MM in year one, $3.7MM in year two, and $2.9MM in year three. Colorado had acquired the goaltender on Thursday in exchange for a 2022 third-round pick, a 2022 fifth-round pick, and a 2023 third-round pick. The trade, and now this extension, seems to put a close to Darcy Kuemper’s time in Colorado, as he is set to hit the free agent market on Wednesday.

Just after the Georgiev announcement, the team also announced via Twitter and their website that they have extended defenseman Jacob MacDonald for two years. The news was first broke by The Athletic’s Peter Baugh. MacDonald’s contract is two-way, with a $450K salary in the minors and carries a cap hit of $762.5K each season (link).

Georgiev, 26, was an arbitration-eligible RFA who was due a $2.65MM qualifying offer, one the Rangers likely couldn’t afford, especially as a backup to Vezina Trophy winner Igor Shesterkin. With speculation that the team could let Georgiev walk in free agency, the team was able to secure a return by sending him to Colorado for the above draft picks. Colorado appeared set to try and work out an extension with Kuemper, the incumbent goaltender, but with several other UFAs on the docket and a goalie market with seemingly much higher demand than supply, Georgiev became the more attractive option.

The reigning Stanley Cup Champion Avalanche now boast a duo of Georgiev and Pavel Francouz in net, which will cost a combined $5.4MM over each of the next two seasons before Francouz becomes a UFA after 2023-24. The cost for both goaltenders is surely attractive for Colorado, given it is less than some teams pay for just their starter, however it doesn’t come without some questions as to performance. In 33 games last season, Georgiev played to just an .898 save-percentage, the worst mark of his career, and a 2.92 goals-against average. Francouz played to a far better .916 save-percentage and 2.55 goals-against average in 21 regular season games, as well as a .906 save-percentage and 2.81 goals-against average in seven playoff games, filling in for an injured Kuemper. Though Francouz’s numbers are relatively good, the Avalanche have made clear his role is as the backup. This may not necessarily hold true over the remainder of his contract, and could formulate strong competition between the two for playing time.

Switching gears and turning back to MacDonald, the 29-year-old is a veteran of 43 NHL games, including eight in 2021-22 for the Avalanche, his most significant time however, coming in 2020-21, where he played in 33 games. Having just two goals and eight assists in his NHL career to date, the defenseman has been a prolific point-producer at the AHL level, hitting the 40-point mark three times, including one 55 point season. This season, MacDonald tallied 10 goals and 15 assists in a mere 33 AHL games. The Cornell University alum could be a candidate to push for more playing time with the Avalanche this year, having shown his ability to play at the NHL level, his affordability, and with questions regarding other Avalanche defensemen, including pending UFAs Josh Manson, Jack Johnson, and Ryan Murray, as well as Samuel Girard, who broke his sternum in Colorado’s second-round series against the St. Louis Blues.

Colorado Avalanche Acquire Alexandar Georgiev

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The Colorado Avalanche have found a new goaltender. The New York Rangers have traded Alexandar Georgiev to the Avalanche in exchange for a 2022 third-round pick, a 2022 fifth-round pick, and a 2023 third-round pick.

This means that Darcy Kuemper is no longer expected to re-sign in Colorado, as the Avalanche go with a cheaper option to pair with Pavel Francouz. Georgiev, 26, is a pending restricted free agent due a qualifying offer of $2.65MM and is eligible for arbitration. Even if he landed a good settlement, it won’t match what Kuemper will likely be able to command on the open market, especially in a year with such a shallow pool of free agent goaltenders.

Interestingly enough, it appeared as though the Rangers were not going to issue that qualifying offer, which would have made Georgiev a free agent next week. With Igor Shesterkin in place and several free agents to sign, the team was expected to walk away from their backup if they couldn’t find a trade partner. By landing three picks, general manager Chris Drury has squeezed quite a bit of value out of the last few days of Georgiev’s tenure in New York.

In fact, his time there has been incredibly valuable, relative to the cost that the Rangers paid. Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2017, Georgiev played three seasons with the team under an entry-level contract, two more with a cap hit of $2.45MM, and now netted them three draft picks before he walked out the door.

With a .909 save percentage in 131 NHL games, he doesn’t have a huge track record of success but there have been flashes of brilliance from the netminder, skill the Avalanche will hope to nurture in Colorado. The fact that Francouz has shown the ability to perform at a high level can make them a worthwhile tandem, not to mention the fact that the team itself has been able to overcome poor goaltending performances in the past.

For Colorado, with this core, it’s time to push all the chips to the middle and try to repeat. The team now has no draft picks until the sixth round this year, and are already without six future picks as well. Given the relative youth of so many key players they can afford it, though a gap in prospect development like that can be a tough thing to overcome down the road.

Still, this leaves more money open for some of their other free agent negotiations. Nazem Kadri (UFA), Valeri Nichushkin (UFA), and Artturi Lehkonen (RFA) all played huge parts in the team’s Stanley Cup win, and are deserving of big raises this summer. With a goaltending tandem that could very well cost less combined than Kuemper will make on his own, there are a few more dollars to go around.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

New York Rangers Extend Julien Gauthier

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The New York Rangers have made a small dent in their long list of offseason decisions. CapFriendly reports that the team signed winger Julien Gauthier to a one-year, one-way contract extension worth $800,000, noting that Gauthier will still be a restricted free agent next summer with arbitration rights.

Gauthier hasn’t panned out since the Carolina Hurricanes drafted him 21st overall in 2016, dealing him to the Rangers in exchange for defenseman Joey Keane four years later. In three seasons and 91 games with the Rangers now, Gauthier has just five goals, 12 assists, and 17 points. He’ll turn 25 just after the start of next season, meaning that time is running out for Gauthier to become a consistent producer at the NHL level. He has shot just 4.3 percent over his NHL career, though, suggesting his impact has been a bit more positive than his unlucky low goal totals would suggest.

He’s shown the sparse ability to hold it together in a bottom-six role, although he seemed to take a step back this season with a little more ice time. As the Rangers look to capitalize on their ascent to the top of the Eastern Conference food chain, they’re likely getting Gauthier signed so that they can attempt to trade him this offseason. The Athletic’s Arthur Staple did report this morning that both he and goaltender Alexandar Georgiev had requested a trade out of New York.

Latest On New Jersey Devils Goaltending

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The New Jersey Devils were once again in the league’s basement in 2021-22, finishing fourth-to-last in the NHL standings with a 27-46-9 record. Perhaps the single biggest reason for the Devils’ struggles this past season was their goaltending. The team had a combined .881 save percentage, which was second-worst in the NHL, only ahead of the expansion Seattle Kraken. No Devils goalie managed to get into more than 25 games, and significant injury woes to the team’s two main goalies, Mackenzie Blackwood and Jonathan Bernier, meant the Devils needed to use seven different goalies just to make it through the year. That group of seven included promising 21-year-old 2020 draft pick Nico Daws, a player the Devils undoubtedly would have rather let develop peacefully at the AHL level. So, with that nightmare season behind them, the Devils’ have set forth in this offseason with the intention of stabilizing their situation in net. With significant cap space to spare, many have speculated on what direction the Devils could go in their crease.

According to the New York Post’s Larry Brooks, “multiple industry sources” indicate that the Devils “will be in on impending Toronto free agent goaltender Jack Campbell if he hits the open market on July 13.” Additionally, Brooks adds that the Devils might even attempt to acquire Campbell’s signing rights in order to get a head start on the process. Along with Campbell, Brooks also reports that the Devils “could have interest” in Rangers goalie Alexandar Georgiev, if Georgiev is not issued his $2.65MM qualifying offer.

Targeting Campbell would certainly make a lot of sense for New Jersey. The American netminder had a brilliant 2020-21 campaign, unseating Frederik Andersen as the Maple Leafs’ starter on the back of his 17-3-2 record and .922 save percentage. In his first full year as the Maple Leafs’ number-one goalie in 2021-22, Campbell weathered some mid-season struggles to post a 31-9-6 record and .914 save percentage. While the playoffs were not kind to him, Campbell, 30, is likely to be considered the second-best goalie on the UFA market behind Avalanche starter Darcy Kuemper, who could win the Stanley Cup tonight. The Devils landing Campbell would be a clear indication of the front office’s intention to transition from their rebuild into a more competitive phase, an intention they signaled with their signing of Dougie Hamilton last summer.

The Devils’ reported interest in Georgiev is a bit more curious. While the Georgiev from 2017-18 to 2019-20 would certainly be an improvement from the Devils’ current crop of goalies, Georgiev’s recent form does not make him a slam-dunk upgrade over someone like Blackwood. Georgiev had a .898 save percentage this past year while playing behind a very strong Rangers squad. Perhaps the Devils are confident that Georgiev can revert back to playing as well as he did a few years ago, but relying on that would be risky. Brooks did clarify that the Devils’ interest in Georgiev would be as part of a tandem rather than as a true number-one, however.

While we don’t know exactly which goaltender the Devils will ultimately choose, we do know that goaltending will be a top priority for the them this offseason. The Devils have a strong young core centered around Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, and other emerging stars. Armed with the number-two overall pick at the draft, the Devils clearly want to be in the hunt for a playoff spot next season. In order to get there, they’ll need significantly improved goaltending, and targeting a top free agent like Campbell is perhaps their clearest path to stability in the crease.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Latest On Alexandar Georgiev

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Because of all the (deserved) attention that Igor Shesterkin gets in New York, it’s easy to forget that the Rangers have another 26-year-old netminder that has shown flashes of brilliance over the last few years. Alexandar Georgiev sits with a .909 save percentage over 131 career appearances and is coming off a two-year contract that carried a cap hit of $2.45MM.

It’s that cap hit that makes things difficult for the Rangers, as arbitration looms this summer should the team issue the $2.65MM qualifying offer that Georgiev is owed, a total that isn’t all that appealing for a team that is going to be pushed right to the salary cap ceiling with some of the other extensions they will try to pull off. Georgiev may well end up unqualified altogether, which would make him an unrestricted free agent instead.

Because of that issue, Arthur Staple of The Athletic writes that Rangers general manager Chris Drury is “trying hard to find a trade partner” for Georgiev (who he refers to as “disgruntled”). Staple notes that the team was previously looking for a first-round pick in return, though that ask is now likely much lower now, as the offseason begins.

Undrafted, Georgiev made his NHL debut during the 2017-18 season after signing an entry-level contract and quickly showed that he could handle himself at that level. Unfortunately, the .918 save percentage he posted that first year has been steadily decreasing every season since and reached a career-low .898 in 2021-22. Giving up a draft pick or other asset just for the right to sign an .898 goaltender doesn’t sound very appealing, though with the relative lack of options on the market this summer, perhaps it will still be necessary for one of the teams looking at a goaltending change.

If they do trade him–or even if they just let him leave unqualified–it would open a spot for a more veteran option behind Shesterkin in a more traditional backup role. While there may not be a ton of starting options, there are several pending free agent backups that could be had for much less than that $2.65MM qualifying offer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

New York Rangers To Sign Olof Lindbom

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Another talented young goaltender is set to join the New York Rangers. CapFriendly has reported the terms of a to-be-announced entry-level contract between New York and 2018 second-round pick Olof Lindbom. The Swedish netminder is set to sign a two-year deal worth an AAV of $925K. The NHL salary in 2022-23 will be $750K and in 2023-24 will be $775K, with an AHL salary of $70K for both years. The contract also includes a $185K signing bonus, split evenly between each season, and games played bonuses of $82.5K in year one and $57.5K in year two.

Lindbom, 21, was the first goalie off the board at No. 39 overall in the 2018 NHL Draft. Lindbom had dominated the U-18 World Juniors that year, recording a .949 save percentage and 1.66 GAA in six games, and the Rangers didn’t want to miss out on his potential. However, Lindbom’s development has not been straight-line. In the four years since he was drafted, Lindbom has only played in Sweden’s U-20 SuperElit league and second-tier pro Allsvenskan league, finding varying levels of success and not earning any SHL appearances. With that being said, 2021-22 was Lindbom’s best pro season as he posted a career-high .900 save percentage in a career-high 27 games for Kristianstads IK. While that .900 number may not seem elite, it ranked 17th in the Allsvenskan and 10th among goalies who played in at least half of their team’s games; it’s not a bad mark for such a young goalie.

While the signing of Lindbom was inevitable and the timing is not surprising, as the Rangers likely want to play a more direct role in his development, the addition of another young goalie adds to the logjam in New York. The Rangers have long dealt with a two-headed monster at the NHL level in Igor Shesterkin, who at 26 is already the Vezina Trophy favorite, and talented backup Alexandar Georgiev, who is also just 26. In the minors, a pair of former NCAA standouts are awaiting their chances for more opportunity. Adam Huska, who just turned 25, was the backup to Keith Kinkaid for the AHL’s Hartford Wolfpack despite outplaying the veteran. Meanwhile, 24-year-old Tyler Wall only played in five AHL games due to the organizational net depth. There’s also Dylan Garand, a 2020 fourth-round pick who has already signed his ELC, played in a couple AHL games last year, and has been stellar in each of the past two seasons with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers. The 19-year-old is ready for the next level. Lindbom will not be handed anything in New York; he will have to fight for his place on the depth chart like everyone else.

Atlantic Notes: Sabres, Zboril, Point, Matthews

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The Sabres have shown interest in Rangers goaltender Alexandar Georgiev in the past, notes Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News.  Buffalo is in need of goaltending for next season regardless of whether or not they plan to have Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen jump up full-time to the NHL or not.  Georgiev is a strong candidate this summer given New York’s salary cap situation and while the 26-year-old has had a tough year (a GAA of 2.91 and a SV% of just .898 in 31 games), there could still be a bit of upside left to make him a worthwhile short-term option.  They have shown interest in bringing back Craig Anderson and the veteran could be a good mentor if Luukkonen is on the roster in a platoon situation.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • The Bruins have had extension talks with defenseman Jakub Zboril, reports Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal (Twitter link). The 25-year-old was limited to just ten games with Boston this season before his year came to an end with a torn ACL.  Zboril is eligible for Group Six unrestricted free agency this summer since this is his fifth professional season but has just 54 career NHL games under his belt so a low-cost one-year deal to give him another chance next season would make some sense for both sides.
  • Lightning center Brayden Point will return tonight after missing Thursday’s contest, relays Joe Smith of The Athletic (Twitter link). Head coach Jon Cooper acknowledged that the 26-year-old has been dealing with a nagging issue, terming his absence last game as more than just maintenance.  Point has 55 points in 62 games this season and they’ll need him healthy for the playoffs so the fact he only missed the one game has to be encouraging.
  • Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews will return to the lineup tonight against Florida after missing the last three games with an undisclosed injury, mentions TSN’s Mark Masters (Twitter link). The 24-year-old has four games left to get two goals which would make him the NHL’s first 60-goal scorer since Steven Stamkos reached that mark back in the 2011-12 season.

Deadline Notes: Chychrun, Marino, Klingberg, Georgiev

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The Arizona Coyotes announced that defenseman Jakob Chychrun would not return for the Coyotes tonight after suffering a lower-body injury against the Boston Bruins. Interestingly, this was Chychrun’s second trip to the dressing room of the evening, after leaving the ice earlier in the game and returning, before taking a hit from Boston’s Derek Forbort. As a result of the hit, Chychrun fell awkwardly into the boards.

The injury carries multiple layers of concern for the Coyoytes. While the team is first and foremost concerned with the health of Chychrun, he is one of Arizona’s most important players. It’s also no secret that Chychrun’s name has been front and center among potential trade bait as the NHL’s trade deadline nears, and any long-term injury to Chychrun could drastically affect his market.

  • In the 32 Thoughts segment of Hockey Night in Canada, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman added another interesting name to the trade deadline discussion: John Marino. Friedman mentions Marino as a potential option for the Vancouver Canucks, who are searching for an impact defenseman. Friedman adds, however, that the Pittsburgh Penguins very much like Marino and would certainly prefer to keep him. The idea of trading Marino might seem misplaced, especially with the Penguins sitting in second place in the Metropolitan Division, however Vancouver could utilize one of their forward assets such as J.T. Miller or Brock Boeser to try and acquire Marino from Pittsburgh. Even if the young defenseman could bring the Penguins a player like Boeser, Marino is signed through the 2026-27 season at a very reasonable $4.4MM per season, something the salary-cap-mindful Penguins may not want to part with.
  • Joining Friedman on Hockey Night in Canada was Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek, who took a name out of the deadline conversation: John Klingberg. Marek mentions that with Miro Heiskanen expected to miss time with mononucleosis, Klingberg may now be more valuable to the Stars than what they could get back for him. Rumors had started to circulate around Klingberg as a potential trade chip when it appeared the Stars would not be able to re-sign the pending UFA. While the talented defenseman would likely bring back a large return for Dallas, the team is in the midst of a playoff push and could use Klingberg for its own benefit. Even if Klingberg leaves via free agency in the summer, he could function as a rental for Dallas, who may have sought to replace him anyways if they were to trade him away. With nine days to go until the NHL’s trade deadline, things can surely change, but for now, it appears Klingberg is staying put.
  • ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reports that New York Rangers’ goaltender Alexandar Georgiev has switched agents ahead of the trade deadline. Georgiev is now represented by Gerry Johannson of TSC Hockey. It is not immediately clear why Georgiev changed his representation, but the switch is noteworthy considering Georgiev is one of the more likely names to be moved ahead of the trade deadline.

Vegas Golden Knights Checked In On Fleury, Georgiev

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2:55pm: McCrimmon has responded directly to Seravalli’s report, telling David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal that there is “absolutely no credence” to it and that Fleury will not be returning.

1:30pm: The Vegas Golden Knights never shy away from bringing in a big-name player, even if it seems impossible due to cap implications. So why wouldn’t they be interested in the reigning Vezina Trophy winner? Well, that’s a complicated question, given their history with Marc-Andre Fleury, who was reportedly blindsided by a trade to the Chicago Blackhawks last offseason. Despite that history, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports that the Golden Knights have expressed interest in bringing Fleury back to Vegas.

The interest is because of an injury to Robin Lehner, which Seravalli reports is a torn labrum in his shoulder. Surgery is an eventual possibility and would suggest that the Golden Knights desperately need to address the goaltending situation in the coming weeks. Logan Thompson was recalled yesterday from the minor leagues when Lehner missed practice.

In addition to Fleury, the Golden Knights have apparently looked into Alexandar Georgiev from the New York Rangers, whose role is dwindling because of the outstanding play from Igor Shesterkin. The 25-year-old Georgiev is in the second season of a two-year contract he signed in 2020 and will be a restricted free agent at the end of the year. In 19 appearances (17 starts), he has recorded an .898 save percentage, the lowest of his career.

How will a Vegas team that is about to activate Jack Eichel fit in another big cap hit? Seravalli suggests that Lehner could end up on long-term injured reserve, where he would join captain Mark Stone who went there yesterday. It should be noted that Lehner’s injury and timeline have not been confirmed by the team at this point, with general manager Kelly McCrimmon explaining yesterday that his status for Wednesday’s game wasn’t yet clear.

After a rough start, Fleury has turned around his game of late and now carries a .910 save percentage on the season. Last night, he stopped 31 of 32 shots to beat the Winnipeg Jets.

Metropolitan Notes: Penguins, Georgiev, Hofmann, Kotkaniemi

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The Penguins received some good and bad news on the COVID front today.  The team announced (Twitter link) that winger Evan Rodrigues has been removed from protocols but center Jeff Carter has been placed in COVID protocol.  Rodrigues is in the middle of a career year for Pittsburgh with 23 points in 30 games while seeing regular minutes on the top line so he’ll be a welcome return.  Meanwhile, it’s the second time this season that Carter has been placed in COVID protocol.  The veteran is having a nice year in a top-six role, notching 17 points in 27 games so far.  Pittsburgh currently has eight players in COVID protocol.

More from the Metropolitan Division:

  • While Rangers goaltender Alexandar Georgiev isn’t thrilled about his current lack of playing time, Arthur Staple of The Athletic suggests (subscription link) that the team is unlikely to trade the netminder in advance of the March 21st trade deadline. With Igor Shesterkin’s injury history and the fact that Keith Kinkaid is their next best option, Georgiev may very well be more valuable to New York as an insurance policy than as a trade chip.  Accordingly, a move in the offseason when their cap situation gets trickier and more replacements are available seems like a better time for the netminder to be moved.
  • Blue Jackets winger Gregory Hofmann has taken a leave of absence for personal reasons, notes Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch (Twitter link). The 29-year-old has seven points in 24 games in his first NHL season after his rights were acquired from Carolina last season.  His wife is expecting the birth of their first child soon so there is no firm date yet for his return.
  • While there was plenty of speculation at the time that Jesperi Kotkaniemi signed his one-year, $6.1MM offer sheet with Carolina that the framework of a longer-term extension was also discussed, GM Don Waddell told Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic (subscription link) that there have been no discussions on that front as of yet. The 21-year-old is eligible to sign an extension as of Saturday but is off to a quieter start than he and the Hurricanes were hoping for as he has 14 points in 30 games this season while playing just 12:15 per game.  As a result, finding a price tag that both sides are comfortable with for a long-term contract may be difficult at this point.  Carolina will need to tender a $6.1MM qualifying offer this summer if no extension is reached by then.

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