NHL News

Home

Teams

Quizzes

Newsletter

Mackenzie Blackwood, Colorado Avalanche (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Colorado Avalanche Season Preview: Goaltending

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Ryan Womeldorf | Last updated Sep 3, 2025 6:40 PM ET

The Colorado Avalanche are preparing to take another run at a very tough Western Conference in hopes of capturing their fourth Stanley Cup championship. They will have their work cut out for them as teams like the Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars are as talented as anyone.

Though the Avalanche have looming questions, they appear to have a lineup capable of contending for another Stanley Cup. As part of our season preview series, we will break down each position group to see how the Avalanche stack up. Let’s start with the goaltending group.

Mackenzie Blackwood

During the first quarter of the 2024-25 season, goaltending was a massive issue. After one deft trade by Avalanche management and goaltending is now a strength. 28-year-old Mackenzie Blackwood was something of an unknown entity when acquired but proved to be a home run for the Avalanche.

Blackwood was sterling upon his arrival. In 36 starts, he went 22-12-3, providing excellent goaltending in the form of a .913 save percentage and 2.33 goals against average. Though he was a bit rough in the first-round loss to the Stars, the Avalanche clearly have their number-one goalie.

Blackwood should get the lion’s share of the starts once again, coming off a career-high 56 games played. So long as he remains healthy, Blackwood should provide a level of goaltending that the Avalanche haven’t had in a long time. Against the competition in the conference, they will need Blackwood to be his best.

Scott Wedgewood

Just 10 days prior to the Blackwood trade, the Avalanche made an underrated deal to acquire Scott Wedgewood in exchange for promising young netminder Justus Annunen. The move felt confusing at the time given the general feeling that Annunen would be the future of Colorado goaltending, but it all worked out.

The 32-year-old Wedgewood was extremely underrated during his 19 games with the Avalanche. Though he was the clear backup, he was excellent, going 13-4-1 while sporting a .917 save percentage and an impressive 1.99 goals-against average.

In Wedgewood, the Avalanche have a stable, veteran presence to alleviate Blackwood. In an incredible stroke by Avalanche management, the team went from dire straits under Alexandar Georgiev to having arguably one of the best goaltending duos in the entire league.

Ilya Nabokov

With the top two established, Colorado needed to establish a third goaltender to fill in where necessary. Enter 2024 second-round pick Ilya Nabokov. Recently signed to an entry-level contract, Nabokov is more than likely going to start the season with the Colorado Eagles of the American Hockey League (AHL).

Though a bit undersized at 6-foot-1, 180 pounds, Nabokov shows very good quickness. Playing in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), Nabokov has been facing older competition than most players his age and has shown the ability to stand on his own.

There is a chance that the former KHL MVP could get loaned back to Metallurg Magnitogorsk for the 2025-26 season, which would facilitate the need to promote someone else into the third spot. Ideally, Blackwood and Wedgewood will remain healthy and lock down goaltending at the NHL level for the season.

Goaltending a Strength for the Avalanche

Avalanche management cannot be commended enough for what they’ve done with the goaltending situation. It felt like the Avalanche were drowning at the start of the 2024-25 season with Georgiev’s performance falling off the face of the earth.

Now, Blackwood could become a Vezina Trophy candidate while Wedgewood remains one of the best backups in the league. In the end, Blackwood will need to elevate his game in the playoffs if the Avalanche want to make a deep playoff run for the first time since 2022.