The Colorado Avalanche have signed goaltender Scott Wedgewood to a one-year extension through the 2026-27 season, worth $2.5 million. The move comes after Wedgewood played extremely well as the main starter while Mackenzie Blackwood was out due to an injury. Wedgewood went 10-1-0-2 in his extended stay at starter, clearly earning that extension.
The move to sign Wedgewood to the extension gives the Avalanche some flexibility with their future goaltending situation. Blackwood is signed through the 2029-30 season at $5.25 million AAV, so there’s no question that he’ll remain in that role, no matter how well Wedgewood has done. Wedgewood might still get another good chunk of games under his belt this year, but that remains to be seen. I think that it might depend on Blackwood’s performance.
The other goaltender that is highly talked about is Ilya Nabokov. Nabokov had a solid first couple of seasons with Magnitogorsk Metallurg of the KHL, recording save percentages of .930 and .923 in his first two years as their main goaltender, but his save percentaged dipped down to .893 so far during the 2025-26 season for the team. He still has a chance to make a comeback in his performance, though. During those first two seasons listed, he played in 43 and 49games,s respectively. So far this year, he’s at 14 games.
Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar stated in the past that they really want to get Nabokov over to North America due to the differences between the KHL and North American rinks (the size). It’s a different animal over in Russia. However, Nabokov was loaned to Magnitogorsk Metallurg for this season.
The delay of Nabokov’s role in the Avalanche’s lineup isn’t a bad thing, as more development can be a great benefit for him.
The future of the Avalanche’s goalkeeper position appears to be in very good condition, as long as Blackwood and Wedgewood continue holding down the fort. Nabokov might still be a few years away from making a difference for the Avalanche, but he could end up as the backup to Trent Miner for the Eagles at some point next season.