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A Goaltending Civil War Is Brewing Inside The Avalanche Organization
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- A Goaltending Civil War Is Brewing Inside The Avalanche Organization
Colorado 's next goaltending battle won't be taking place at Ball Arena. It could be decided a few miles away in Loveland, where two very different paths to the NHL are about to collide.
Ilya Nabokov arrives as one of the organization's most intriguing prospects, having openly talked about his goal of becoming the best goalie in the world . Trent Miner , meanwhile, has spent years working his way through the Avalanche system and finally got his opportunity in the NHL last season. Now, the two will share the crease with the Colorado Eagles, and both will have plenty to prove.
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Nabokov has already started making his presence felt.
Optional skates are, by definition, optional. But the 23-year-old has been showing up to plenty of them at Family Sports Center lately, and he hasn't exactly been treating them like a casual morning workout.
On Wednesday, Sean Behrens, Alex Gagne and Matthew DiMarsico each got their fair share of chances against him. Nabokov turned away most of them, repeatedly flashing the athleticism and quick glove that made him such an intriguing prospect for the Avalanche.
It was only an optional skate in August, but Nabokov is clearly taking the work seriously.
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The 2026-27 season will be his first full campaign in North America, giving Colorado its first real opportunity to see how his game translates to the smaller ice and faster pace.
Nabokov isn't your typical prospect.
Colorado selected him 38th overall in the 2024 NHL Draft, making him the first goaltender taken that year. Before coming to North America, he had already won a Gagarin Cup and been named KHL playoff MVP with Metallurg Magnitogorsk.
His résumé is impressive, but his game still has something to prove.
At 6-foot-1, Nabokov is smaller than most modern NHL goaltenders. His low stance makes him even more unconventional, but it also allows him to move quickly around the crease. His athleticism, lateral movement and ability to recover have been major reasons for his success.
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The question is whether those strengths will hold up against NHL-caliber shooters.
Nabokov spent his final season in Russia trying to prepare for that transition, and his numbers weren't nearly as strong as they had been the year before. His save percentage fell from .923 to .901, while his goals-against average climbed from 2.22 to 2.74.
On the surface, it looked like a step backward. There was more going on than the numbers suggested, though, as Nabokov was also working to change parts of his game before making the move to North America.
Now he'll have a full season with the Eagles to see whether those changes were worth it.
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And he'll have to do it while competing with a goaltender who has plenty to prove himself.
Miner has been part of Colorado's system for several years and has spent much of that time waiting for his opportunity. He finally got one last season, and he made it count.
In January, Miner recorded a shutout in his first NHL victory, stopping all 22 shots in a 4-0 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets . That made him just the 17th goaltender in NHL history to record a shutout in his first NHL win.
Trent Miner is congratulated by Nathan MacKinnon and now former Av Jack Drury after collecting his first NHL win. Credit: Isaiah J. Downing
Miner also made the most of his limited NHL opportunity. He appeared in four games for Colorado, going 1-0-3 with a 2.03 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage.
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His season with the Eagles was just as impressive. Miner went 17-8-8 during the regular season before taking another step in the playoffs, going 11-6 with a 1.87 GAA and .925 save percentage as Colorado advanced to the Western Conference Final.
Now he'll have to do it all over again with Nabokov standing on the other side of the crease.
Nabokov has already made his ambitions clear. In May, he said he wants to become the best goalie in the world. That's a lofty goal, especially for a 23-year-old still adjusting to North American hockey, but it also tells you something about the mindset he's bringing with him.
Miner isn't going to make the path any easier.
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The two will be teammates in Colorado, but neither is going to have much room to coast. Nabokov is trying to show the Avalanche that he's ready for the next level after making significant adjustments in Russia. Miner, meanwhile, is coming off a season that put him firmly on the organization's radar.
That should make the Eagles' crease one of the more interesting battles to watch this season.
For Nabokov, the goal is to prove that his development is continuing and that he's getting closer to becoming an NHL goaltender. For Miner, it's about showing that last season wasn't a fluke.
And there is a real NHL opportunity waiting for whoever separates himself.
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Colorado enters the season with Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood expected to handle the NHL crease. Blackwood is under contract for four more seasons, while Wedgewood is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
That puts a little more urgency on Nabokov's season.
If he takes control of the Eagles' net and continues to develop, the Avalanche could have an internal candidate ready when another NHL job becomes available. But if Miner picks up where he left off last season, Colorado may have a much tougher decision to make.
That's exactly the kind of problem an organization wants.
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The Avalanche would rather have two goaltenders forcing their way into the conversation than spend another season wondering where the next NHL option is coming from.
For Nabokov and Miner, though, this isn't really about helping the Eagles win a few more games.
It's about what comes after that.
Nabokov has no shortage of confidence in where he can eventually get. Miner has spent the past year showing that he may be closer to an NHL job than anyone expected.
They'll share the same crease in the AHL this season, but every start will matter.
The first opportunity comes in Colorado.
What happens from there could determine which of them gets the next one in the NHL.
