July 7 (UPI) — The Colorado Avalanche acquired goaltender Alexandar Georgiev from the New York Rangers in exchange for three NHL Draft picks, the teams announced Thursday.
The Avalanche sent the Rangers third- and fifth-round selections in the 2022 NHL Draft and a 2023 third-round pick in the deal. The 2022 NHL Draft will start Thursday and run through Friday at Bell Centre in Montreal.
Georgiev, 26, went 15-10-2 with a 2.92 goals against average and .898 save percentage in 33 games last season. He posted a 58.48-11 record with a 2.94 goals against average and .908 save percentage in 129 appearances over his five seasons with the Rangers.
Igor Shesterkin shined last season as the Rangers’ goaltender. He led the league with a .935 save percentage and 2.07 goals against average in 53 appearances. He also claimed Vezina Trophy, the award given annually to the league’s best goaltender.
Darcy Kuemper and Pavel Francouz were the Avalanche’s top two goaltenders last season. Kuemper, a 10-year veteran, went 37-12-4 with a .921 save percentage and 2.54 goals against average in 57 starts for the Stanley Cup champions.
Francouz, a four-year veteran, went 18-15-5 with a .916 save percentage and 2.55 goals against average in 21 appearances.’
Kuemper is a free agent this off-season. Francouz is under contract through the next two seasons.
The first round of the 2022 NHL Draft will air at 7 p.m. EDT Thursday on ESPN. Additional coverage for Rounds 2 through 7 will start at 11 a.m. Friday on NHL Network.
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