Sharks Locker Room: Georgiev Won’t Be Back, What’s Next in Goal?

Alexandar Georgiev is moving on.

“I’ve already had a conversation with the GM, and he said they’re going with a different group for next year,” the pending UFA shared, after stopping 25-of-27 shots in the San Jose Sharks’ season-closing 3-0 loss to the Edmonton Oilers.

It was the Sharks’ 11th-straight loss.

Georgiev, 29, was acquired from the Colorado Avalanche in the Mackenzie Blackwood trade on Dec. 9.

It was a trying campaign for Georgiev, who had led the NHL in wins over the last two years.

Ousted by the team that he thought he’d be leading into the Stanley Cup playoffs this spring, the veteran netminder had to try and find his game on perhaps the worst defensive team in the league.

Georgiev went 7-19-4 in teal with an .875 Save %, after going 8-7-0 with an .874 Save % with the Avs. Per Stathletes, his -13.79 Goals Saved Above Expected is second-worst in the NHL, ahead of only Elvis Merzlikins.

“I know I’ve got a lot of good hockey to play,” Georgiev maintained. “I’ll be a part of a different team, and at least that’s good to know, know that I have a new challenge, new team to play for, it will be very exciting for me.”

So what’s next for the San Jose Sharks in goal?

Top prospect Yaroslav Askarov, about to lead the San Jose Barracuda to the Calder Cup playoffs, almost certainly will be graduating to the big leagues next season.

But who’s going to partner with the 22-year-old netminder, who’s got just 16 NHL games on his resume?

You would think that the Sharks will go with a veteran keeper with some starting experience, to take some of the pressure off their future star.

Actually, someone with Georgiev’s resume makes sense, but in the end, the fit wasn’t there for Grier.

Timothy Liljegren

Liljegren, on why it’s hard for the San Jose Sharks to adhere to their structure:

I feel like sometimes, you want to make a play instead of maybe doing an easy chip the puck down play. It’s a hard league to win in. If you look at the best teams in the league, they play very structured and pretty boring hockey, if you will. And once they break the [other] teams down, they can get going and be creative. But I feel like you got to start the games with playing to your structure and break teams down.

Liljegren, on what’s one thing that he wants to improve in his game:

Consistency. Have a high-low level, if you will, and kind of keep a good level. Be a guy who can be trusted every game.

Alexandar Georgiev

Georgiev, on a sellout tonight and the dedication of the fans:

It’s incredible. Honestly, been so impressed with how dedicated the fans are.

We had such a tough season, losing a lot, and then you come up to the gym after a game at like 11 PM and you leave the rink and there are big crowds waiting just for autograph or just a picture and just saying hi, it’s kind of crazy.

And the practice rink too. A lot of fans are waiting and giving us gifts. I got a book today and a Lego set and candy and whatnot. It was too big of a bag to tell what else was there.

It’s pretty crazy. They’re very dedicated. You can tell they’re big, big Sharks fans for life, just not just hockey fans, like [Logan Couture] said yesterday.

You can really tell the city cares about the team. Stuck with the team even in tough times.

cries georgie mentioned my gift from this morning…i’m gonna be mourning for the next few days don’t talk to me https://t.co/e3LAiSDuCO pic.twitter.com/jTpmJwkymM

— iris 🦈 (@404error_iris) April 17, 2025

Georgiev, on his future plans as a pending UFA:

I’ve already had a conversation with the GM, and he said they’re going with a different group for next year. So I know that I’ll be a part of a different team, and at least that’s good to know, know that I have a new challenge, new team to play for, it will be very exciting for me.

I hope the group here is good. They deserve to win and deserve good goalies.

Georgiev, on his reaction to the San Jose Sharks’ decision to move on from him:

I don’t know. Tough to say. It’s good to be a free agent. It’s good to see what’s going to happen this summer. I know I’ve got a lot of good hockey to play. Think I made a lot of good steps with [Thomas Speer], working with Speersy this season, it’s been really beneficial.

I feel like we improved even a little bit. I definitely feel that way.

It’s business, right? They have to make their own decisions, and you don’t know what comes into them often, so you try not to overthink it.

Henry Thrun

Thrun, on the No. 1 thing that the San Jose Sharks can improve next year:

The biggest thing is probably consistency. We show the flashes of competing with the top teams in the league. But the difference between us and them this year is just, they show up for three periods. If we lay back for 10 minutes or down two goals and then it’s tough to come back as a team.

Thrun, on what he can improve this year:

I’ll reflect, and I’ve thought about a little bit already.

I made some good strides this year in the defensive zone, both breaking the puck out and closing guys out.

Knowing the way my game is trending, that being more physical and closing guys out even better is an area that I want to get better at.

It was a weakness last year, this year, I think it was [just] fine.

Ryan Warsofsky

Warsofsky, on Georgiev’s season:

Came in, gave us some good games. A tough season, up-and-down with Colorado and us, try to find his game at times. The consistency was probably the issue. But we wish him all the best.

Warsofsky, on ending this season on a stronger note than last year’s end:

Yeah. I thought we competed to the end, and we didn’t give up. We never gave up, no matter what the scoreboard said, no matter what was going on with player movement, whatever the situation was, adversity-wise, we never quit, and we just kept playing. And proud of that group in there for doing that. This is a tough time to play.

Even though it’s National Hockey League. I get it, we get paid a lot of money to do it. But when you’re not really playing for a playoff spot or push, and you go up against some teams that are pushing, those are tough games. And Calgary’s games, Minnesota game, we hung in there and we fought. I got to give a group a lot of credit.