Since coming over in a pair of mid-season trades now two years ago, Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood have been one of the best goaltending duos in the NHL. Behind the Avs stellar blueline group and one of the most powerful offenses in the league, the two even won the William Jennings Trophy this year for the NHL's best tandem.
However, Wedgewood is only signed through the end of this season, and Blackwood's performance while recovering from several injuries over last season have led to some questions about the Avalanche's plan for the long term future of their net.
The answer to those questions may be just on the horizon as Colorado's top goalie prospect Ilya Nabokov is set to make his debut with the AHL Colorado Eagles this upcoming season. The 23-year-old Russian netminder has spent the last three years as one of the KHL's best goalies. Now, the question becomes whether or not he will be able to translate that success to the American game.
Making room
The Avs traded Isak Posch to the Nashville Predators this offseason, creating a room for Nabokov as the backup to longtime Eagles netminder Trent Miner for the coming season. However, with Miner also only signed through next year, the Avalanche will want to give Nabokov as many starts as they think he can handle to get a better idea of what they have on their hands.
The Eagles were a very good team last year, reaching the western conference final in the Calder Cup Playoffs, and look to be in a contention window for the moment, just as the Avs are. With Blackwood signed through the next three years, there's plenty of runway for Nabokov to get acclimated to the North American systems and style of play before he would need to take over as starter in Colorado as well.
If Nabokov is able to show clear NHL upside while with the Eagles, the Avalanche will be able to move on from Wedgewood hopefully without issue at the end of next season and carry the young Russian on their main roster.
However, if Blackwood underperforms again and Wedgewood plays himself into another contract with the Avs, the situation gets more complicated. Blackwood would be a hard sell as a backup given his 5.25 million dollar salary, but with the Avs already brushing against the cap for the foreseeable future, the team would be highly motivated to make space on the roster for a younger, cheaper netminder in Nabokov.