The Avalanche made a noteworthy trade for a backup goalie on Saturday — one that involved moving on from Justus Annunen. I have thoughts about Annunen’s tenure and how he never developed into the goalie of the future. But I’ll save that for Monday’s Notebook.
I do have another more significant thought about this deal. An opinion I’d like to share today: Acquiring Scott Wedgewood is one of two goaltending moves the Avs are going to make before the March 7 trade deadline.
Here’s why.
Colorado has struggled with inconsistent goaltending all year. Starter Alexandar Georgiev has picked it up lately and was on a great run before the team dropped back-to-back games to last year’s top two Western Conference teams. Were the losses entirely on Georgiev? Probably not. But the acquisition of Wedgewood — a backup option for the Avs for the remainder of this season and next — tells me that general manager Chris MacFarland isn’t done yet.
I’ve said for most of the year that I wouldn’t be surprised if the two goalies manning the crease for the Avs in April don’t include either Georgiev or Annunen, who was shipped to Nashville in the Wedgewood deal. But alternatively, I felt that if the Avalanche were to role with Georgiev for another playoff run, they’d acquire a tandem goalie as a security blanket. Someone who’s comfortable in the crease in the playoffs and has experience as a full-time starter. Someone like what they had in Pavel Francouz, who you’re confident in if he were to lead the team onto the ice for a playoff game.
Wedgewood isn’t that.
At 32 years old, Wedgewood has proven to be a capable backup. Like most of their roster, he struggled to start the season in Nashville. But he admitted Saturday that learning their system was a bit of an adjustment — and Colorado’s likely will be as well. But last year, Wedgewood held the fort down when Stars goalie Jake Oettinger was out. He started a third of Dallas’ games and was 16-7-5 despite having an .899 save percentage, albeit still above league average. In both 2022 and 2023, Wedgewood was between .910 and .915 in save percentage and was a steady option in goal for each of the teams he played for.
What he brings is something Colorado has rarely had in recent years. Francouz was truly a special goalie to have in the system and was noticeably missed in 2020-21, 2023-24, and again, now, in 2024-25.
But what he brings is specifically backup goaltending. Wedgewood has never started a playoff game and only has three appearances in the postseason, all with Dallas, all in relief in 2023 when Oettinger was struggling in goal.
He’s not a tandem goalie. But he’ll give head coach Jared Bednar a capable backup who can play against strong competition in the regular season — something the team couldn’t trust Annunen to do.
So what does this all mean?
To me, it says Colorado is going to make another move. It’s not a coincidence that Wedgewood is locked up through next season. He solidifies the backup position for another year after this and keeps the focus off that position next summer as long as he performs as he usually does.
But if he’s not an option in the playoffs, I struggle with the idea that the Avs are going to roll with Georgiev without having a safety blanket. Even when they had Darcy Kuemper, the Avalanche needed Francouz to win six of the 16 playoff games en route to a Stanley Cup championship.
This is purely speculation — the entire article is. But the obvious name I feel the Avs are going to target is John Gibson. The 31-year-old is off to a strong start, posting a 4-1-1 record for the Anaheim Ducks. Like their starter Lukas Dostal, Gibson has an .922 save percentage. And he’s looking like the best, and the most obvious pickup for a stable starting goalie.
Gibson is under contract for $6.4 million per season until the end of 2026-27. The salary cap hit is an issue but the Avs can find a way to make it work. If a deal were to get done, it would involve Georgiev. It probably will also require Anaheim to retain some salary, perhaps a million or up to $1.4 million per year. In that scenario, the Avs could include draft picks or prospects and make the deal happen.
My initial thought would be to include Miles Wood and his $2.5 million cap hit, but that’s a situation they can address in the offseason when Mikko Rantanen and Jonathan Drouin are both up for raises (assuming they both stay), and when the salary cap rise becomes more clear. Wood is also out long-term and might not be ready until around the deadline anyway.
Gibson reminds me a lot of Kuemper. He’s a strong goalie who’s lost his way because he’s been stuck on a rebuilding team without playoff aspirations for a half-decade. With the Avs, he’d be their main guy for three playoff runs and could even sign a short-term contract extension afterward and attach himself to the Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Mikko Rantanen core for the rest of their prime years. Unless Ilya Nabokov is ready to be the guy, Gibson likely wouldn’t have much internal competition.
Goaltenders traditionally play longer into their 30s than skaters do. Florida starter and reigning Stanley Cup champion Sergei Bobrovsky is five years older than Gibson and still leads the way for the Panthers.
Gibson doesn’t have Bobrovsky’s resume, but over the next 3-5 years, he could give the Avs the level of goaltending Corey Crawford provided for the Blackhawks during their golden era. He won’t be one of the best in the league, but he wouldn’t be paid like one either. More importantly, he’d be a step up from the constant changes the team has had in goal since 2020. Stability would be nice.
Georgiev has done all he can with the hand he’s been dealt. Had Francouz been healthy and his tandem partner for three seasons, perhaps things would have been different. But Wedgewood isn’t a tandem goalie. He’s a good backup for a stronger starter. He fits better playing with Gibson than he does with Georgiev. The past two playoff runs are proof.
And I think Joe Sakic, MacFarland, and the rest of the front office are also well aware of this.