December 1st 2024.
The Colorado Avalanche have been investing time and resources into developing young goaltender Justus Annunen for several years. However, in a surprising move, they traded him and a draft pick to the Nashville Predators for veteran netminder Scott Wedgewood. This was the second unexpected change in their goalie depth before the 2024-25 season even reached 25 games.
Wedgewood, who has been following the news and is a fan of the sport, understands the need for a shake-up in the goalie department. "I've read the reports and I'm a hockey fan. I watch the entire league. I want to help regardless," he said.
It's no secret that both Annunen and Alexandar Georgiev have struggled at times this season. Their early-season struggles prompted the Avalanche to acquire Kaapo Kahkonen on waivers. While both goalies showed improvement, Kahkonen only had one chance to play in a Colorado uniform before being placed on waivers again.
Annunen's performance took a turn for the worse when he was pulled twice in three starts. In a game against Tampa Bay, he allowed three goals in the first 10 minutes, was replaced in the second period, and then gave up two goals on the first two shots he faced when he returned in the third period.
Although Annunen's stats were impressive last year, it should be noted that he mostly faced weaker teams. Head coach Jared Bednar rarely started him against top teams, and his recent struggles against Washington and Tampa Bay have raised some concerns.
The Avalanche drafted Annunen in 2018 with the hope that he would eventually become an NHL backup. However, their trust in him was fleeting, even when his numbers were good against weaker teams. This season, his performance against weaker teams has also been less consistent compared to last year.
After Georgiev allowed four goals on 23 shots in a game against Dallas, the Avalanche's team save percentage is now at .871, placing them at the bottom of the league. "I thought he played pretty good at times," said coach Bednar of Georgiev's performance. "There are a couple of rebounds I'd like to see him control better. I don't mind the goaltending we got. The penalty kill, I think he's part of it. He's got to be better. The penalty kill has got to be better."
The Avalanche allowed two power-play goals against Dallas, and their save percentage while killing penalties is ranked 30th in the league. Their 5-on-5 save percentage is also tied for last with Montreal.
Wedgewood, who was also a third-round pick like Annunen, took a long time to make it to the NHL. He played 20 games in the 2017-18 season before spending two more full seasons in the minors. He only played 87 games in the league before turning 30, but he has proven to be a survivor. He was part of the Tampa Bay Lightning's bubble team during their 2020 championship run, and he spent the past two seasons with the Dallas Stars, playing a career-high of 32 games last year.
"I've been known as a 'room guy'," Wedgewood shared. "As a backup goalie for most of my career, you've got to find a way to stay in the league somehow. You try to mesh with everyone in the room - high contracts, low contracts, old, young. Skill-wise, if you look at my career, there are great numbers and bad numbers throughout seasons, but I'm going to give you everything I've got every night. There's no question about that in my mind."
With the addition of Wedgewood, the Avalanche hope to bring some consistency to their goalie position and turn their season around. "We can work together, get some consistency between the two of us. Whatever the team needs. We'll bond and get the ship righted," Wedgewood said confidently. "A lot of it's not crazy. Stop the puck."
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