Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
The Colorado Avalanche are wasting no time getting their roster ready to defend their Stanley Cup title.
The Avalanche became the latest team to lock in their own players on a busy Sunday afternoon, agreeing to terms on contract extensions with goaltender Alexandar Georgiev and defenseman Jacob MacDonald.
Georgiev’s deal is the headliner here at three years in length and carries an average annual value of $3.4 million. The 26-year-old has shown flashes of greatness throughout his young career, at one point even looking like the heir apparent to Rangers franchise stalwart Henrik Lundqvist. But Georgiev has fumbled in recent years and was usurped on the depth chart almost immediately after Igor Shesterkin arrived on Broadway, failing to show much consistency ever since.
In fact, Georgiev finished the 2021-22 campaign with a 15-10-2 record and two shutouts to go along with a dismal .898 save percentage and -7.6 goals-saved-above-average. Aside from a few Herculean performances towards the end of the season, he was teetering on the edge of being a sub-NHL netminder for most of the year, perhaps struggling with the inconsistent playing time forced upon him behind Shesterkin.
There is hope for a rebound, though.
The Rangers, despite their postseason success, were routinely out-shot and out-chanced by their opponents last season, placing much of the heavy lifting onto their goaltenders. Georgiev won’t be tasked with such immense responsibility in Colorado, as the Avalanche tend to dominate the possession game and insulate their goalies as much as possible — which could be a recipe for success.
Perhaps this is a perfect situation for Georgiev to flourish in a true tandem with Pavel Francouz.
In terms of MacDonald, the 29-year-old now re-signs for two years at an average annual value of $762,500. MacDonald played just eight games for the Avalanche last season, going scoreless and averaging just over 10 minutes of ice time per night. For the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, though, MacDonald was far more productive, racking up 10 goals and 15 assists for 25 points in 33 games. When it comes to organizational defensive depth, there are far worse options.