SAN JOSE — Alexandar Georgiev’s time with the San Jose Sharks is ending, with common supervisor Mike Grier getting in a distinct course together with his crew’s goaltending.
Georgiev mentioned minutes after the Sharks’ season-ending 3-0 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday that Grier has knowledgeable him that he won’t be again with the crew subsequent season.
Georgiev is within the remaining yr of a three-year, $10.2 million contract he signed with the Colorado Avalanche in July 2022 and is ready to turn out to be an unrestricted free agent. The Sharks acquired Georgiev, winger Nikolai Kovalenko, and two draft picks in December as a part of the commerce that despatched goalie Mackenzie Blackwood to the Colorado Avalanche.
Georgiev, 29, went 7-19-4 with an .875 save proportion in 31 video games with the Sharks.
“I already had a conversation with the GM, and he said they’re going with a different group for next year,” Georgiev mentioned Wednesday evening at SAP Heart. “So I know that I’ll be a part of a different team, and at least that’s good to know, and I know that I have a new challenge and team to play for. It will be very exciting for me.”
Understandably, Grier and the Sharks wish to make modifications. As a crew, San Jose had the NHL’s worst targets towards common (3.75) and third-worst save proportion (.881), solely forward of Buffalo (.879) and Philadelphia (.872).
The Sharks completed the yr in final place within the NHL’s total standings with a 20-50-12 document.
In 48 video games with the Sharks and Avalanche this season, Georgiev went 15-25-4 with an .874 save proportion.
“I hope the group here is good. They deserve to win and deserve good goalies,” Georgiev mentioned. “So that’s up to the management now.”
Georgiev didn’t all the time have the help and construction from the skaters round him, however he nonetheless struggled with consistency throughout his time in San Jose. Among the many 43 NHL goalies who performed in at the least 30 video games this season, Georgiev, per MoneyPuck, was forty second in targets saved above anticipated per 60 (-0.409).
Nonetheless, Georgiev loved working with Sharks goalie coach Thomas Speer and firmly believes he will help an NHL crew win video games.
“It’s good to be a free agent. It’s good to see what’s going to happen this summer,” Georgiev mentioned. “I do know I’ve acquired quite a lot of good hockey left to play, and I believe I made quite a lot of good steps working with (Speer) this season, it’s been actually helpful.
“It’s business, right? They have their own decisions, and you don’t know what (goes) into them often, so you try not to overthink it.”
The Sharks solely have one goalie underneath contract for subsequent season as the primary yr of Yaroslav Askarov’s two-year, $4 million deal begins. Georgi Romanov, who backed up Georgiev on Wednesday, is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights, as is Gabriel Carriere, now in his first season with the Barracuda.
Georgiev won’t be the one participant the Sharks half methods with this offseason. Defenseman Jan Rutta can also be a pending UFA, and forwards Kovalenko, Klim Kostin, Thomas Bordeleau, Noah Gregor, and Danil Gushchin are set to turn out to be restricted free brokers.
“I feel like I’ve worked hard every game I’ve been in the lineup,” Gregor mentioned Wednesday morning. “I think that’s something I’ve learned that you have to have, is just compete. You can’t really worry the about other stuff, as long as your compete level’s there, the rest should follow. I’m happy with the way I’ve played, and the rest is kind of out of my hands.”
Initially Revealed: April 16, 2025 at 10:55 PM PDT
