Colorado Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgewood is getting some extra opportunities while Mackenzie Blackwood is dealing with an injury which required surgery at some point. Wedgewood, who the Avalanche traded for near the beginning of last season (the same with Blackwood), has led the Avs to a 4-0-1 record to start the year.
His only loss was to the Dallas Stars in a shootout that ended 5-4, though shootout results do not count towards a goaltender’s goals-against average (GAA). Through five games the Avalanche have played, Wedgewood has faced the second-most shots of any goalie so far this year at 131. He has a save percentage of .939. That ranks eighth in the league, but fourth if you don’t include goaltenders with just one game played this year.
When Wedgewood first got to Colorado, I felt confident that he could help lead the Avalanche going forward. That wasn’t in the team’s plans, though, as they traded for Blackwood shortly after. Blackwood has been the starter since arriving, but I feel confident in Wedgewood and he has hardly disappointed thus far.
Shortly after arriving to Colorado and starting, Wedgewood had an iconic quote in the locker room after a win: ”Four lines, six D, two tendies.“ That quote highlights his strong confidence in the team in front of him.
It’s true that the Avs have a solid team in front of their goaltender, but sometimes, it doesn’t always go as planned and someone messes up. That’s life. But Wedgewood has sometimes bailed out his teammates with some impressive saves, and that’s what you want in a goalie, starter or not. It’s something that Colorado lacked before the additions of their 1A and 1B.
Scott Wedgewood working his way to a contract extension
When the Avalanche traded for Wedgewood, I’m not sure if they anticipated how good he might be. He’s been nothing short of awesome and in a contract year, if he keeps doing what he’s doing, Colorado will have to extend him.
It won’t be very expensive if they plan for Blackwood to return as the primary starter, but if they see their situation as more of a split between the two, Wedgewood might cost more than he was making on his two-year deal ($1.5 million AAV). In comparison, Blackwood’s deal consists of a duration of five years worth $5.25 million AAV. Based off of those numbers, it’s clear the Avs went into the situation thinking Blackwood was their full-time starter (with spot starts here and there for Wedgewood).
Wedgewood is playing exceptionally well in place of Blackwood. One thing that might have the Avalanche thinking about is the hypothetical of if Blackwood returns to form or if he struggles early on. If the latter is the result, Colorado has a solid plan in place. The more games Wedgewood gets to play in, the more chances he gets to earn more money. It won’t be too expensive, but he could be playing to earn more than we might expect.
With that being said, Colorado has to sign their backup to a long-term deal. Even another two-year deal could be the move, as he’s 33 years old. It would keep him around just long enough and maybe one of the team’s pipeline goalies (Ilya Nabokov) would be ready to head to Colorado as Blackwood’s primary backup.
The Avalanche are in a great spot with their goalie position. It is one aspect that fans don’t have anything to worry about.