November 30th 2024.
The Colorado Avalanche has made a major change in their goaltending roster, marking the second time this season. In a trade with the Nashville Predators, the Avalanche have acquired veteran Scott Wedgewood in exchange for backup goalie Justus Annunen and a sixth-round pick in the 2025 NHL draft. This move comes after Wedgewood signed a two-year contract with the Predators worth $1.5 million per season in the summer. The 32-year-old has played for four different teams, with his most recent season being a career-high of 32 games played with the Dallas Stars.
Annunen, who was a 2018 draft pick by the Avalanche, was also signed through next season at $837,500. Last season, he had his first taste of NHL action and performed well with a record of 8-4-1 in 14 games and a .928 save percentage. However, this season has not gone as planned for Annunen or starter Alexandar Georgiev. Annunen had a record of 6-4 with an .872 save percentage in 11 games before the trade. In his last three starts, he was pulled twice, including a rough 8-2 loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning where he allowed three goals in the first 10 minutes of the game.
Both Annunen and Georgiev struggled at the beginning of the season, leading the Avalanche to acquire Kaapo Kahkonen off waivers from the Winnipeg Jets. However, Kahkonen's immigration situation delayed his debut with the team, and he was eventually claimed back by the Jets after just one start. Despite this, the Avalanche are hoping that Wedgewood's experience and solid performance will provide stability to their goaltending position.
In other news, the Avalanche will face the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night at Ball Arena. Georgiev started the previous night's game in Dallas, where he allowed four goals on 23 shots in a 5-3 loss. As he is in the final year of his contract, Georgiev's future with the team remains uncertain as he could become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. For more updates on the Avalanche, be sure to sign up for the Avalanche Insider to receive all the latest NHL analysis.
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