The Avalanche hope they have addressed their goaltending troubles after acquiring Mackenzie Blackwood.
On Monday, the Colorado Avalanche sent goaltender Alexandar Georgiev, forward Nikolai Kovalenko, and a second-round pick to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, forward Giavani Smith, and a fifth-round pick.
Georgiev may have led the NHL in wins a year ago, but the 28-year-old's underlying stats were pretty bad: an .897 SV% with a 3.02 GAA in 63 appearances.
He may have been given a pass this summer, but his 3.38 GAA and .874 SV% in 18 games this season forced the Avalanche's hand into making a move.
Many say good goaltending is not necessary for winning, but the Avalanche are a perfect example of a team that did win a Stanley Cup but could have one more, given their talent.
New York Islanders netminder Semyon Varlamov played eight years in Colorado before injuries and inconsistencies led to his departure in the summer of 2019. He chose to sign a four-year deal on Long Island, signing a four-year extension in the summer of 2023.
In four years since Varlamov's departure, the Avalanche have that Stanley Cup victory, but outside of that year, they've failed to make it past the Conference Semi-Finals.
It's a team effort, but goaltending has failed them.
They had Phillip Grubauer for a few years before Kuemper and then Georgiev.
It's interesting to think about what could have been had Varlamov been brought back behind their superstar cast.