The Colorado Avalanche are one of the NHL’s biggest surprises in 2024-25 — and not in a good way. The Avs have failed to secure a single point through four games, joining the Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks as the only three teams without a win.
And the goaltending situation is going from bad to worse in Denver. Besides being 0-4, Colorado is allowing a ridiculous 6.25 goals against per game, along with a horrific .794 save percentage. Alexandar Georgiev is the main culprit for the Avalanche; he’s surrendered 17 goals on 85 shots for an unacceptable 5.79 goals-against average and .800 save percentage.
As the team continues to struggle mightily, multiple sources around the league have wondered if the front office might try to explore a trade for Anaheim Ducks veteran goaltender John Gibson.
The Athletic’s Eric Stephens and Jesse Granger recently wondered if a potential Gibson trade to the Avalanche might make sense. Gibson has struggled himself over the last few years, but could just need a change of scenery to turn things around. There was a time when he was one of the better goaltenders in the National Hockey League.
“There’s risk on Colorado’s part, taking on Gibson’s contract through the 2026-27 season, but I think there’s a good chance that deal is viewed very differently after we see Gibson play behind a contending team,” wrote Granger on Thursday.
“With [Nathan] MacKinnon and others, the Avs should be in the playoffs again. A trade for Gibson could give them a motivated goalie and a better chance at more postseason glory.”
As well, The Fourth Period’s Dennis Bernstein speculated if Gibson might help turn things around in Colorado on the latest episode of the Game Day podcast.
“I think (GM) Chris MacFarland really needs to dial it up right now in Colorado and see what other options there are,” said Bernstein on Thursday.
“I know John Gibson is still hurt in Anaheim…but there’s more of a sense of urgency. Colorado had designs on winning it all and getting back to serious Stanley Cup contention. To do that, with that deficiency in goal this early, you’ve got to be concerned if you’re Chris MacFarland.”
Alexandar Georgiev unlikely part of Avalanche’s long-term plans
Georgiev is basically playing himself out of a new contract in Colorado; the 28-year-old will probably not be part of the team’s long-term plans the way things are going. He’s set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer, meaning the squad could trade him, or let him walk for nothing in the offseason.
As a team with Stanley Cup aspirations, the Avalanche need to do something quickly. And Although Gibson is a viable option, he has three years remaining on his contract with a $6.4 million cap hit. The Avs are already strapped tight to the salary cap, and they’ll need to make room for the huge contracts of Gabriel Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin when the pair are ready to return.
As well, Gibson is still recovering from emergency appendectomy back in September, and there’s no guarantee that he will return and crack the .900 save percentage mark for the first time since 2021-22.
For a trade to materialize, the Avalanche would need the Ducks to retain some of Gibson’s hefty salary, and likely would need to throw in a sweetener as well. But with Lukas Dostal looking like he’s taking over the crease in California, there’s no doubt that Gibson has become expendable.
It’ll be interesting to see how this progresses over the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, the Avalanche will go right back to Georgiev for their game on Friday night — it just so happens to be against Gibson and the Ducks.
