Ilya Nabokov is the most-talked-about prospect for the Colorado Avalanche. Selected with the 38th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, the Russian goaltender has already signed his entry-level contract (ELC). While he was loaned back to the KHL, he still could see some action once Metallurg Magnitogorsk’s season is done.
The Avalanche have two quality goalies on their current roster: Mackenzie Blackwood is the clearcut starter with Scott Wedgewood backing him up. They were both traded for near the beginning of last season. Colorado signed Blackwood to a five-year extension, while Wedgewood’s deal runs out at the end of the 2025-26 season. At that point, Wedgewood will be 34 years old.
Will Nabokov have had enough North American hockey experience by that time? The KHL regular season ends in March. At that point, depending on the exact date, the Avalanche will have roughly 24 games remaining in the regular season. The Colorado Eagles have 13 games scheduled in March of 2026. It’s much more likely that we see Nabokov suit up in the AHL at least for this entire season, in my opinion.
That would be the right path for the Avalanche to take with Nabokov. The North American game is much different than that of the KHL, with the size of the rinks being the biggest factor. In the NHL, In the NHL, rinks are 200 feet long and 85 feet wide. In the KHL, rinks were generally 60 meters long and 30 meters wide (196 feet by 98 feet).
I’m not entirely sure how all of that matters/makes a difference, but I would imagine that the size of an North American rink could dictate the speed of the game. You hear all the time about how the game has slowed down for many players, not only in hockey, but football, too. The more the players get exposed to the new norm, the easier it should be for them.
There has been a lot of talk about the expectations with Nabokov. Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar wanted to get him to North America pretty quickly. While he’s in Russia to play in the KHL again, signing him to an ELC was a huge step in his development. There’s no plan for him to remain in the KHL beyond the current season, so Avalanche fans will get a good look at a potentially huge piece to the team’s future.
Of course, nobody wants to put too much pressure on Nabokov. However, maybe he could feed off of that and push himself harder than anybody. We could see him suit up with the Avalanche at some point in the 2025-26 season. If not, perhaps 2026-27. Either way, the Avalanche hope that he will be a long-term solution if Wedgewood ends up moving on at the end of the upcoming season.