Georgiev Surprised by Trade, Talks Time With Avs & Askarov

ST. LOUIS — Alexandar Georgiev was surprised to get traded.

On Monday, the San Jose Sharks acquired the goalie, Nikolai Kovalenko, and a pair of draft picks from the Colorado Avalanche for netminder Mackenzie Blackwood, Givani Smith, and a pick.

Georgiev, signed by the Avs in the summer of 2022 to be the backbone of a Stanley Cup contender, had struggled to start this season, but thought his game was turning around.

Since Nov. 7, Georgiev was 7-3-0 with an .897 Save %, enjoying a six-game winning streak at one point.

He was getting better, but that wasn’t good enough for the Avs, and the 28-year-old pending UFA will get a chance to rebuild his reputation with the Sharks.

There’s a decent chance that he will: From 2022 to 2024, Georgiev was the winningest goalie in the NHL, and per Evolving Hockey, his 19.1 Goals Saved Expected in that time was 16th in the league (of 35 qualified goalies, 4000-plus minutes).

San Jose Hockey Now spoke with Alexandar — pronounced “Alexander” — on Wednesday. Georgiev will make his San Jose Sharks debut on Thursday night against the St. Louis Blues.

The Bulgaria-born, Russian-speaking Georgiev spoke about the trade, his time in Colorado, and about Yaroslav Askarov.

Sheng Peng: Can you talk about when you found out about the trade?

Alexandar Georgiev: We were in Pittsburgh and got the call from our GM [Chris MacFarland]. Short, short phone call. Just let me know [that] I’ll be on the San Jose Sharks, and the GM here will be reaching out.

SP: I understand you guys had a tough time getting here, can you talk about the delay?

AG: Pretty crazy day. We were supposed to fly out at 6 AM [on Tuesday]. It was tough to fall asleep, too, with the news, got a couple hours of sleep. We get in [to the Pittsburgh airport], and it turns out we were on the plane at 5, 5:20, or something like that. Then it takes a while for us to take off. They first delayed for an hour, then they actually tell us, okay, get off the plane and we’ll see what happens.

We landed around 11:10 [in Raleigh]. Went straight to the hotel, had some lunch, met the team, and went to sleep.

SP: What are your feelings about the trade and this new opportunity with the San Jose Sharks?

AG: Very excited for it. I don’t think too many guys want to be traded exactly, but it’s part of the business, and I feel it’s a great opportunity for me. I think it’s a really good team here, and just be happy about it. You know, nothing you can do. It’s the decision they made. Felt like my game was trending in the right direction during the season. So that’s all you can control, your game and I’m excited for a chance here.

SP: In Colorado, why was it a tough time for you early in the season?

AG: The first two games, I was not good, definitely. I felt after that, it just kept building and building. I felt the next [few] games, my game was OK, just a couple of bad bounces here and there, and all of a sudden, you’re losing.

I felt like it never got into my head. Just tried to stay with it and get better and better, and went on a 6-0 run at some point in the season, like won six in a row. So it was just a matter of getting a streak of good bounces. I don’t want to go too much into detail, of course, it’s a lot of factors [for the trade]. I know I’m happy where my game was at the last 10 games or so.

SP: What are you looking to do here, as a pending UFA, with the San Jose Sharks?

AG: Like I said, you can control your game. That’s what I’m focused on. Come in and play strong every night and see what happens. I mean, I didn’t know I would be on San Jose three days ago. So it’s tough to make a plan or whatever, but just taking it day by day and enjoying the new team.

SP: You had no idea that a trade was coming?

AG: No, I didn’t.

SP: Do you know Askarov? Are you excited at the possibility of mentoring him?

AG: No, no, I don’t know him personally. I would love to meet him. I would love to see him on the ice. I saw a couple highlights. I think he had some good success in the NHL in the few games he got, and I’m looking forward to meet him, see how he is, and get to know him a bit.

SP: Have you seen any of his celebrations?

AG: I saw some AHL, yeah. The bench press. (laughs) That’s pretty crazy, but you’re trying to enjoy the game, especially in the AHL, you have to find ways to enjoy it. It’s a little tougher with the travel. I think he’s a good goalie.

Special thanks to William Espy for his help transcribing.