Is a potential Jeremy Swayman trade to the Colorado Avalanche no longer a pipe dream?

With Alexandar Georgiev entering a pivotal contract year, he must put up his best season yet with the Colorado Avalanche. But maybe he won’t get that opportunity to shine, as an unexpected but possible trade could be in his near future. 

The potential taker? The Boston Bruins, who have yet to reach a deal with Jeremy Swayman. He’s put up outstanding numbers, but has never done so as a pure No. 1 netminder. That said, it’s easy to see why Bruins general manager Don Sweeney would be hesitant to sign Swayman long-term, but it’s also easy to understand why Swayman wants a long-term deal. 

Earlier today, Joe Yerdon of Bleacher Report listed a few teams Swayman could land with if a trade becomes inevitable, and yep, the Avs made the cut. While this doesn’t mean anything, making a blockbuster swap of goaltenders involving Swayman and Georgiev makes a ton of sense for both sides. 

Why is this? For one, acquiring Swayman would allow the Avalanche to pair the youngster with the intriguing Justus Annunen, which means neither player would need to shoulder No. 1 goaltending duties. 

Colorado Avalanche would be a sneaky good landing spot for Jeremy Swayman 

You may look at the Avalanche’s current cap space and think there’s no way they’d pull this trade-off, but I’m not going to question general manager Chris MacFarland. This is an executive who’s turned the Avs into perennial Stanley Cup contenders, and that should be the case this season. 

One reason behind it is his ability to make seemingly impossible situations work, so if MacFarland believes he can give Swayman what he wants and fit him into the lineup, he will. Should a trade like this occur, and if Swayman continued to show he can be an elite goaltender, then at that point, the Avs could make him their No. 1, and use Justus Annunen as a trading chip next offseason. 

But imagine a hockey team with a potential franchise goaltender like Jeremy Swayman while, in the process, they could give up a shaky player like Alexandar Georgiev. The only caveat would be the logistics of signing Mikko Rantanen to a long-term extension that would begin in 2025-26, but like I said, I wouldn’t count someone like Chris MacFarland out of somehow making this work. 

In the end, Boston would win by snagging Georgiev as a 1A goaltender for a defense-first team in the Bruins. The Avs would also win, as Swayman would get his long-term contract, and Colorado would have arguably the best young netminder in hockey. While a trade like this actually happening is still a long shot, each passing day could bring it a little closer to reality.