The Buffalo Sabres placed veteran goaltender Alexandar Georgiev on waivers for the purpose of contract termination on Sunday, according to multiple reports. In the process of becoming a free agent and after a rough year or so in the NHL, Georgiev will be returning to the KHL.
When he signed with the Sabres in September, veteran goaltender Alexandar Georgiev was hopeful of a road back to becoming a starter in the NHL.
It wasn't long ago that Georgiev was the No. 1 guy for the Colorado Avalanche. During his first two seasons with the Avs, in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 campaigns, he made 62 starts. In those two seasons, Georgiev put together a 78-34-11 record.
However, after he was dealt to the San Jose Sharks early last season, Georgiev’s numbers took a hit, as he posted a 7-19-4 record, a 3.88 goals-against average and an .875 save percentage.
Thus, when Georgiev became a UFA this summer, no team inked a deal with him.
Then, when he signed a one-year contract with the Sabres in September, he was still well down the organizational depth chart between the pipes.
He sat behind Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Alex Lyon, as well as youngsters Colten Ellis, who joined the team on waivers on Oct. 6, and Devon Levi. With only one net and a handful of goalies in the system, there’s not enough ice time to go around.
So, it wasn’t a surprise that Georgiev had his Sabres contract waived, with reports he’s headed overseas to join Spartak Moscow of the KHL next.
Earlier this month, we saw another NHL-caliber goalie, Ilya Samsonov, sign a contract in the KHL.
Samsonov got the job security of a two-year deal in the KHL after NHL interest dried up, remaining without a contract well past the off-season.
The goaltending business is a cruel and fickle one, and Georgiev and Samsonov have followed a different path in their best interest, allowing them to play regularly in their home nation.
Samsonov's decision has paid off so far in terms of his performance on the ice. In five appearances for Sochi, he's recorded a .931 SP and a 2.54 GAA.
Samsonov's Return To The KHL Reveals Cruel Reality Of The Goaltending MarketIlya Samsonov's return to the KHL shows that it's not easy for veteran goaltenders of his stature to find security in the NHL. Teams are hesitant to give that term, while that security is what goaltenders look for.In Georgiev's two full seasons with the Avalanche, he started 124 games out of 164 games, numbers that don't often come around in the NHL anymore. Nonetheless, it was tough for Georgiev to become a regularly-picked goalie with teams following other plans in their pipeline.
Georgiev did feature in two games with the AHL's Rochester Americans in an effort to remain with an NHL organization, but evidently, the team and player have moved on.
In the end, the interest simply wasn’t there for Georgiev anymore. At the quarter mark of the season, no team saw a fit or opportunity for him.
As it was with Samsonov, going home made a lot of sense for Georgiev. With the chance to return and play in his home country and be held in higher regard than he was in North America, could you really blame him?
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