Alexandar Georgiev revived his career in Russia, but the NHL still isn't buying it. Nearly two months after returning to North America, Georgiev remains unsigned. Training camps are getting closer, rosters are taking shape and the number of places for a goaltender looking for a fresh start is getting smaller by the day. Not long ago, he was Colorado's starting goaltender, an All-Star and one of the NHL's winningest netminders. Now, he's trying to convince a team that the goaltender it saw struggle so badly in North America isn't the one it would be getting this time around. And that's probably the biggest problem Georgiev faces.
From 38 Wins To Searching For A Job Georgiev's fall happened quickly. As a member of the Avalanche, he tied for the NHL lead with 40 wins during the 2022-23 season before leading the league outright with 38 victories in 2023-24. He was selected to the All-Star Game in 2024, putting him alongside the league's biggest names and giving him the kind of recognition that suggested he had arrived. There was even a memorable moment at All-Star Weekend when Georgiev faced Connor McDavid in the one-on-one goalie challenge. He stopped nine of 12 attempts from the best player in the world, earned $100,000 and had McDavid joking afterward that Georgiev "had my number." At the time, it was easy to see Georgiev as a goaltender who had figured things out. Then the numbers started going the other way. His .897 save percentage in 2023-24 was hardly reflective of a 38-win season, and things became much worse the following year. Georgiev finished his final stretch in Colorado with an 8-7-0 record, a 3.38 goals-against average and a .874 save percentage. A trade to San Jose didn't fix anything. With the Sharks, Georgiev went 7-19-4 with a 3.88 GAA and a .875 save percentage across 31 appearances. Suddenly, the goaltender who had been trusted to carry a Stanley Cup contender was looking for a way to stay in the top league in the world. Russia Was Exactly What Georgiev Needed Georgiev eventually found that reset in Russia. After his NHL struggles continued in San Jose and Buffalo, he returned to the KHL and joined Spartak Moskva. For the first time in years, his numbers started looking like those of the goaltender Colorado thought it was getting when it made him its starter. In 24 regular-season appearances, Georgiev posted a 2.37 GAA and a .918 save percentage. That .918 is particularly noteworthy. It marked the first time since the 2022-23 season with Colorado that Georgiev finished a season with a save percentage above .900. That doesn't erase what happened in the NHL. But it does give Georgiev something he didn't have when he left North America: evidence that his game could still be rebuilt. He wasn't finished. The playoffs were a little more complicated. Georgiev went 1-4 in five postseason appearances with Spartak, but his individual numbers remained solid. He recorded a 2.65 GAA and a .918 save percentage. Not bad. The problem is that NHL teams aren't simply asking whether Georgiev can play well in Russia. They're asking whether they can trust him to do it here. And due to that lack of trust, Georgiev has found himself in a pickle. Most NHL teams have already figured out their goaltending situations. The obvious starting jobs are gone, most backup positions have been filled and teams are increasingly looking toward younger options to provide depth. He's too accomplished to be viewed as just another organizational goaltender, but his recent NHL performance makes it difficult to view him as a reliable starter. A team considering Georgiev has to balance two very different versions of the same player. There's the goaltender who won 78 games over two seasons in Colorado and earned an All-Star selection. Then there's the goaltender who posted a .875 save percentage in 2024-25 and eventually found himself out of the NHL altogether. As the saying goes, you're only as good as your last outing. And his last stint in the NHL was as dismal as you can get. Georgiev Doesn't Need To Be A Starter The good news for Georgiev is that he doesn't necessarily need someone to hand him the starting job. He just needs someone to give him a chance. A low-cost, one-year deal could make sense for a team looking for an experienced backup. A PTO could give him an opportunity to earn a roster spot during training camp. And, as every NHL season inevitably proves, injuries can create openings that simply don't exist in August. That may ultimately be how Georgiev gets back to the NHL. But so far, nobody has been willing to make that bet — and it's hard to blame them. Teams aren't exactly lining up to gamble on a goaltender whose recent NHL struggles earned him the unfortunate nickname "Fourgiev." Until then, he'll remain one of the more intriguing unsigned goaltenders on the market — and one of the biggest question marks.