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Former Rangers goalie heading to Russia after Sabres terminate contract
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- Former Rangers goalie heading to Russia after Sabres terminate contract
Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
It wasn't too long ago that former New York Rangers goalie Alexandar Georgiev was an NHL All-Star. Now it's quite possible the 29-year-old played his final game in the NHL.
The Buffalo Sabres placed Georgiev on unconditional waivers Sunday in order to terminate his contract. Hockey News Hub reported that Georgiev plans to sign with Spartak in the KHL.
Georgiev signed a one-year contract with the Sabres on Sept. 11, after goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen sustained a lower-body injury. However, Georgiev never played a regular-season game with the Sabres, and landed in the American Hockey League, where he started two games for Rochester. He lost each one, and posted a 3.57 goals-against average and .896 save percentage.
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It was his first time in the minors since the 2018-19 season, when he started 11 games for Hartford, the Rangers ' AHL affiliate.
Perhaps Georgiev can resurrect his career in Russia and make his way back to the NHL. But there's a chance he's played his way out of the League for good, which is crazy to think considering Georgiev led the NHL in wins in 2022-23 (40) and 2023-24 (38) with the Colorado Avalanche .
Over those two seasons with the Avalanche, Georgiev won 78 games, tops in the NHL , and started 124 games, tied for second most, behind Juuse Saros of the Nashville Predators . Georgiev appeared in the 2024 NHL All-Star Game, where he reunited with Igor Shesterkin , his former goaltending partner with the Rangers.
But there were already cracks showing in his game. His save percentage dipped to .897 in 2023-24 and was under .900 in 11 Stanley Cup Playoff games that spring.
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Things bottomed out for him last season. He struggled in the early going (8-7-0, 3.38 goals-against average, .875 save percentage) with the Avalanche, who then traded him to the last-place San Jose Sharks on Dec. 9 along with forward Nikolai Kovalenko and two draft picks for former New Jersey Devils goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood , forward Givani Smith and a 2027 fifth-round pick.
Georgiev finished the season with an overall 15-26-4 record, 3.71 GAA and .875 save percentage – not exactly the best way to enter free agency.
Alexandar Georgiev shared Rangers net with Henrik Lundqvist , Igor Shesterkin , now headed to KHL
Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images
Georgie signed with the Rangers as an undrafted free agent before the 2017-18 season. He split his first two seasons between the NHL and AHL, sharing the net for part of the time on Broadway with Henrik Lundqvist.
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In 2019-20, Georgiev played 34 games with the Rangers, after appearing in 33 the prior season. However, Shesterkin arrived in New York late in the 2019-20 campaign, and took the majority of the starts the next few seasons, including in 2021-22 when he won the Vezina Trophy as the top goalie in the NHL.
In the summer of 2022, the Rangers traded the unhappy Georgiev to the Avalanche for three mid-round draft picks. In 129 games with the Rangers, Georgiev was 58-48-11, with a 2.94 GAA, .908 save percentage, and eight shutouts.
For two years, Georgiev thrived as the No. 1 in the Mile High City. Then it all fell apart last season. And now he's off to Russia, with no idea if he'll ever play in the NHL again.
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