New York Rangers goalie Alexandar Georgiev grabs his water bottle during the first period against the Washington Capitals at Madison Square Garden on April 29, 2022. (Photo: Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Dealin' Joe was busy again on Thursday.
On his 53rd birthday, Colorado Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic traded three draft picks to the New York Rangers for goaltender Alexandar Georgiev (pronounced ghee-OR'-ghee-ev).
The Avs sent their third-round and fifth-round draft picks this year to New York, along with their third-round selection in 2023.
Georgiev, 26, appeared in 33 games for the Rangers this season, posting a 15-10 record with a 2.92 GAA. He stopped 747 of 832 shots on goal for a save percentage of .898. He also recorded two shutouts.
The move signals the end of Darcy Kuemper's time with the Avalanche. Kuemper is an unrestricted free agent and will hit the market when free agency begins on July 13.
Sakic told ESPN the move was an economic one and necessitated by the salary cap.
"Cap-wise, we felt we had to do something. He's a younger goalie, got a lot of upside. He has shown that when he is a starter he can be a real good number one. We're excited for it," Sakic said.
Check out Sakic's interview with ESPN at the NHL Draft in Montreal on Thursday, July 7.
AVALANCHE ACQUIRES GEORGIEV
Goaltender Went 8-1-0 in Last Nine Starts Of 2021-22 Season
DENVER – The Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club announced today that the team has acquired goaltender Alexandar Georgiev from the New York Rangers in exchange for Colorado’s third-round and fifth-round selections in the 2022 NHL Draft and a fifth-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.
Georgiev, 26, posted a 15-10-2 record this past season, including an 8-1-0 run with two shutouts in his last nine starts of the campaign. He earned his 50th career win on Jan. 8 at Anaheim and finished the season with an .898 save percentage and 2.92 goals-against average.
Signed by the Rangers as an undrafted free agent on July 19, 2017, Georgiev is 58-48-11 with a 2.94 goals-against average, .908 save percentage and eight shutouts in 129 career games, all with the Rangers.
The 6-foot-1, 178-pound netminder established career-bests in appearances (34), games started (32), and wins (17) in 2019-20 while leading New York goaltenders in each of those categories. As a rookie in 2018-19, Georgiev ranked second among first-year goaltenders in appearances (33) and saves (966), tied for second in shutouts (2), ranked fourth in wins (14), and fifth (min. 10 appearances) in SV% (.914).
Georgiev spent parts of two seasons from 2017-19 with the Rangers’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack, recording a 16-22-7 record, 3.13 goals-against average, .904 save percentage and two shutouts in 48 total contests.
The Ruse, Bulgaria, native moved to Russia shortly after he was born and as a dual citizen of both nations, competes for Russia in international hockey events. He represented Russia at the 2019 IIHF World Championship, posting a 2-0-0 record, both shutouts, to help his country to a bronze medal. He was the second goaltender in the history of the Russian/Soviet National Team to record a shutout in each of his first two career appearances at the IIHF World Championship. Georgiev also skated for Russia at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship, going 3-1 with a 2.52 goals-against average in five appearances to help Russia win silver.