Avalanche ship Georgiev to Sharks for Blackwood
The Colorado Avalanche traded goaltender Alexandar Georgiev to the San Jose Sharks, the teams announced Monday.
San Jose also added forward Nikolai Kovalenko, a 2026 second-round pick, and a 2025 conditional fifth-round pick from the Avalanche, shipping netminder Mackenzie Blackwood, forward Givani Smith, and a 2027 fifth-rounder to Colorado in the deal.
The fifth-round pick becomes the Avalanche's worst fourth-round selection if at least two of the following are met:
- Colorado makes the Western Conference Final
- Blackwood wins 25 regular-season games after the trade
- Blackwood plays 30 regular-season games with the Avalanche
Colorado retained 14% ($476,000) of Georgiev's salary, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reports. He's in the final year of his contract and is set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Georgiev, 28, has an .874 save percentage in 18 games this season and has allowed four or more goals in seven contests. Only Juuse Saros and Connor Hellebuyck have started more games than Georgiev since he was traded to Colorado in 2022. The Bulgarian-born Russian posted a .919 SV% in his first season with the Avalanche in 2022-23 and fell to an .897 SV% last year.
Blackwood has been much better than Georgiev on a worse Sharks team. He sports a .909 SV% in 17 starts and has a 6-9-3 record. He made 49 saves in a 3-1 loss against the Florida Panthers on Saturday. Blackwood hasn't had a save percentage above .900 over a full season since 2020-21 with the New Jersey Devils.
The 28-year-old is set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season and costs $2.35 million against the salary cap.
Kovalenko, 25, has four goals and eight points in 28 games. The Russian winger joined Colorado in the spring after six seasons in the KHL. He was drafted by the Avalanche 171st overall in 2018 and will be a restricted free agent in the summer.
Smith, 26, has zero points and 10 penalty minutes in six contests with the Sharks. He cleared waivers Monday and is eligible to be assigned to the AHL by Colorado.
Blackwood is the second goaltender the Avalanche have recently acquired. Colorado added Scott Wedgewood from the Nashville Predators on Dec. 1, completely reforming the team's goaltending duo in the span of nine days. Wedgewood recorded a 25-save shutout Sunday against the New Jersey Devils.
The Avalanche cleared $1.47 million in the trade should Smith be assigned to the minors. Colorado has $3 million in cap space with the newly acquired forward still on the roster.