The Colorado Avalanche are one of the NHL’s most dangerous teams, but Adam Proteau says Avs goalie Alexandar Georgiev could feel the heat this coming season.
This is the latest edition in THN.com’s Hot Seat Radar series. In this file, we’re examining the Colorado Avalanche.
In each file of the Hot Seat Radar series, we’re identifying someone on the ‘hot seat’ who’s dealing with a notable amount of pressure to produce positive results or face fallout that could affect their relationship with their team. As well, we’re also pointing out someone on the ‘cold seat’ who’s untouchable and will be around for the long run.
The Avalanche have thrived in recent years, with a Stanley Cup championship in 2021-22, so most of their roster and management is on the cold seat. But let’s break it down:
Avalanche’s Hot Seat: Alexandar Georgiev, G
Georgiev’s individual statistics took a dive this past season, with his goals-against average ballooning from 2.53 in 62 appearances in 2022-23 to 3.02 last year. His save percentage also fell from .919 two seasons ago to .897 last season. Georgiev has been a workhorse, making 63 appearances in 2023-24, but the Avs seem content to let 24-year-old Justus Annunen serve as Georgiev’s understudy despite having only 18 games of NHL experience under his belt.
Compounding the story for Georgiev is the fact he’s entering a contract season and no doubt will be seeking a raise on the $3.4 million he’ll be earning in 2024-25. Avalanche management has shown they’re willing to move on from their starting goalie – getting rid of veteran Darcy Kuemper after he won a Cup with them – so it wouldn’t surprise observers if Colorado went in another direction if Georgiev struggles this coming season.
The Avs are in win-now mode. If Georgiev can’t deliver on his end of the deal, he’s likely to be shown the door, and his opportunity will be given to Annunen or someone else. It’s a zero-sum business, and the Avalanche are cold-blooded in what they expect from key players. Georgiev has to put up or be passed up, and that’s not a comment on him but rather a statement on the industry he’s in.
Avalanche’s Cold Seat: Nathan MacKinnon, C
When you’ve led your team to a Cup in the past three years, and you’re the reigning Hart Trophy recipient as the NHL’s most valuable player, your cold seat is basically freezing.
That’s what the 28-year-old MacKinnon is dealing with this coming season in Colorado. The Avs are paying him $12.6 million for 2024-25 and six more seasons after that, and no one believes he’s anywhere close to overpaid.
It’s going to be difficult for MacKinnon to improve on his career-best 51 goals and 140 points he generated last season, but if anyone can do it, he can. MacKinnon’s dogged determination at both ends of the ice is what separates him from most other NHL superstars, and he’s not likely to slow down anytime soon. He’s the engine that powers the Avalanche, and he’s one of the top three players on the planet.
The Avalanche should be one of the NHL’s top teams again in 2024-25 in large part because MacKinnon carries them there, and there’s no circumstance in which he won’t be Colorado’s biggest on-ice force until further notice.
