Opinion: Rolling the dice on Georgiev has failed

1 month ago  /  Mile High Hockey

Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images


After a miserable start to the 2024-25 season, it’s time to admit the Alexandar Georgiev experiment has been a colossal disaster. The Colorado Avalanche have an Alexandar Georgiev problem. And the 2024-25 NHL season is only three games old.
After being pulled in his first two starts due to poor performances, Georgiev received support from Jared Bednar, who assured the media that Georgiev was “the guy.” The 28-year-old followed up with another consistent performance, giving up five goals as Patrick Roy’s New York Islanders wiped the floor with Colorado in a 6-2 rout.
Is Georgiev the guy? Probably not for long. Justus Annunen should have been the starter all along. Furthermore, on Friday, the Avs claimed netminder Kappo Kahkonen off waivers from the Jets. However, he has to clear immigration before he can join the club.
Colorado is understandably desperate, but this entire debacle would have been avoidable if they had not slashed their goaltending budget following their 2022 Stanley Cup-winning season. By not re-signing Darcy Kuemper, the Avs rolled the dice on Georgiev, and it hasn’t paid off. Some fans love to point out that Georgiev won the most games of any NHL goaltender last season, but can anyone answer why he wasn’t in the running for the Vezina Trophy or the William M. Jennings Trophy? Could it be that Colorado’s incredible offensive arsenal covered up his poor play? Now with Colorado missing four of its top-six forwards, Georgiev’s flaws have become all too obvious.
In the season’s first two games, Georgiev allowed eight goals on 25 shots. And while he was “better” against the Islanders, he still wasn’t good enough to give his club a chance to win. The play in front of Georgiev was a significant issue Monday night, but the excuses are wearing thin.
Folks may say “Calm down, it’s preseason,” or “It’s the first game of the season. Take it easy.” The Avalanche entered the season as a serious Stanley Cup contender. Three games into the season, Colorado is winless. And while they are dealing with several injuries, there’s no excuse for the poor play we’ve been witnessing.
Cale Makar, a former Norris Trophy winner, also had an uncharacteristically poor performance on Monday night. He committed a bad turnover that led to a short-handed goal and a 4-1 Islanders lead. However, Makar has been a solid backbone for the club throughout his career. We can’t say the same about Georgiev, who has been a constant thorn. Enough with the excuses. It’s time to pull the plug.
The signing of Kahkonen is also risky, given the Finnish goaltender has one win in his last five starts. His 2023-24 stats were also less than impressive. In 37 starts with the San Jose Sharks and the New Jersey Devils, Kahkonen won just seven of those games.
Colorado may have no choice but to make Annunen the starter for now until Kahkonen gets the green light from immigration. How much longer will the Avalanche organization and their fans be willing to put up with a goalie with a 6.58 GAA?
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