Nashville deals backup goalie to division rival five months after signing him, receives Justus Annunen and a 2025 sixth-round pick in return.
The Nashville Predators announced Saturday morning that they have traded backup goaltender Scott Wedgewood to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for goaltender Justus Annunen and a sixth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
Wedgewood appeared in five games and made four starts for Nashville in 2024-25 after signing a two-year contract with the team on July 1. He has posted a 1-2-1 record with an .878 save percentage and a 3.69 goals against average. His last appearance with the Predators came in relief of Juuse Saros on Nov. 25 against the New Jersey Devils, in which he turned aside all 15 shots he faced.
Annunen has a 6-4-0 record, an .872 SV% and a 3.23 GAA in 11 games (nine starts) for the Avalanche this season. He won four straight starts from Oct. 20-27, including a season-high 26-save performance on Oct. 27 against the Ottawa Senators. Annunen, 24, set career highs in games played (14), starts (12), wins (8) and shutouts (2) last season with Colorado.
A native of Kempele, Finland, Annunen hails from the same hometown as former Predators goaltender and current development coach and scout Pekka Rinne.
With the trade, the Avalanche address their precarious goaltending situation, hoping a veteran backup in Wedgewood can provide some stability and allow the struggling Alexandar Georgiev to find his game again. The Predators, meanwhile, get a much younger backup in return who has showed promise through parts of four NHL seasons. The Predators also now own 10 picks in the 2025 NHL Draft – three in the first round, two in the second and sixth rounds and one each in the third, fourth and fifth rounds.
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