Red Wings reportedly eyeing former Avalanche Stanley Cup champion in potential blockbuster offseason signing
Photo credit: Jared Silber/NHLI
Stanley Cup winner Alexander Georgiev is set to hit free agency and could emerge as a potential target for a Red Wings team eager to bolster its goaltending.
After ranking in the bottom 12 in team goals against average last season, it's no shock that goaltending is a key area of focus of Steve Yzerman and the Red Wings front office, according to Jeff Marek of Daily Faceoff.
Red Wings reportedly eyeing former Avalanche Stanley Cup champion.
Jake Tye from Yahoo Sports writes that we've seen how fast teams can revamp their goaltending situations, just look at the Colorado Avalanche this past season. They stabilized their crease by bringing in Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood, moving on from former All-Star and Stanley Cup champion Alexander Georgiev, who was dealt to San Jose for Blackwood in an early December trade.
The Avalanche made a dramatic turnaround, improving from the league's third-worst goals against average at 3.55 to fifth-best overall, a shift that ultimately pushed Georgiev out of the picture.
"The 29-year-old Russian netminder had his numbers further trampled on when starting games for one of the league's worst defences in San Jose. Georgiev is seemingly not returning to the Sharks next season and will be available as an unrestricted free agent on July 1st. He finished with a brutal .875 save percentage and a 3.88 goals against average through 31 appearances with San Jose, marking last season as his career-worst." -Tye
New Red wings head coach Todd McLellan is known for implementing strong defensive systems wherever he goes, which could make taking a low-risk chance on Georgiev an appealing move for Detroit.
"Before this past season, Georgiev led all NHL goalies with 78 wins over the previous three years, posting a 2.77 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage during that span. Some believe he was only successful due to Colorado's system and that the numbers are inflated but McLellan may be able to create a structure that works for him, if he was to sign in Detroit." -Tye
It's an option the Red Wings are likely to consider, as Georgiev, still relatively young at 29, could serve as an ideal bridge while top prospect Sebastian Cossa continues to develop. In the meantime, Georgiev would offer the highest upside of any goaltender currently in Detroit's system.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 19 | 32 ANSWERS Red Wings reportedly eyeing former Avalanche Stanley Cup champion in potential blockbuster offseason signing Could Georgiev be the answer to Detroit's goalie problem? | ||
| yes | 4 | 12.5 % |
| no | 28 | 87.5 % |
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