On Thursday I wrote about the Colorado Avalanche’s new goaltending depth in the system so I figured I should probably delve into the Alexandar Georgiev and Justus Annunen tandem at the NHL level.
After all the chaos surrounding the backup position last year, and the many, many times I was screaming for a trade, I think Annunen taking the next step was far and away the best outcome for this team. Not only did they not have to spend assets to acquire a goalie, but they were able to lock in their young backup for just $837,500 against the cap for the next two years.
Georgiev on the other hand has one year remaining on his deal. If Annunen can take another giant leap this year, it’ll give the Avs a little more leverage in their contract negotiations with Georgiev — assuming they decide to bring him back.
But anyway, Georgiev is still Colorado’s guy for another season and all in all, he’s done an admirable job carrying the load over the past two years. But, as all of us, and the organization know, his workload needs to be lightened.
How many games should he play next season?
Read previous Avalanche Offseason Thoughts
7/7: Mittelstadt/Drouin deals, depth additions & veteran presence
7/12: Jonathan Drouin won’t “mess” with happy
7/15: Rantanen’s looming extension & contract structure fascination
7/18: Goaltending depth gets an overhaul
1: For starters, there is a scenario that could play out where Colorado again might find itself scouring the goaltending market leading up to the trade deadline. As much as Annunen was building himself into an NHL-capable netminder, he’s still very much a wildcard.
I’d love to see the Avs give him a handful of tough starts early in the season. Last year he did an admirable job against the Tampa Bay Lightning in a loss. And he was solid when he stepped in against the Nashville Predators in relief. But aside from that, his victories all came against non-playoff teams (or the Edmonton Oilers with half the roster resting for the postseason). He had two shutouts, both of which came against the Chicago Blackhawks.
If Annunen is the guy we think he is, it’ll only help Georgiev stay fresh all year. The funny thing is, Georgiev consistently would tell me he prefers to play every night and wants to be the guy. But I wouldn’t expect anything else from someone who competes like he does.
I think Annunen has what it takes. But I think we all just need to see him continue to do what he did late last season.
2: Now as for the initial question… How many games should Georgiev play? I think, for his sake and the Avs’ sake, it’s best to keep him around 50-54 games at most. Which means you’re relying on Annunen to step in 28-32 times. Is that a big task for Annunen? Maybe. Will Georgiev like giving up that many games? Probably not.
But if this tandem can work well together this year, and stay healthy, I think the team will explore keeping Georgiev around for another couple years — if he’s up for another short-term contract.
I don’t believe Georgiev is a bad goalie, and I regret saying the team should move on from him after Game 1 against Winnipeg last year. But every goalie has his limits, and Georgiev shouldn’t play 60-plus games regularly. Save him for the playoffs and let him build on what have been two years of solid experience as the go-to guy for a Stanley Cup contending team.
