Avalanche add a goalie after opening night beat down
Oct 11, 2024, 12:29 PM
The Colorado Avalanche picked up a goalie from a division rival on Friday, claiming NHL journeyman Kaapo Kahkonen off waivers from the Winnipeg Jets.
Kahkonen, 28, split last season between the San Jose Sharks and New Jersey Devils, posting a combined 7-24-3 record for two of the worst teams in the league. He had a .898 save percentage and a 3.64 Goals Against Average. The Avs were actually interested in him last year according to Gazette, but instead of a deadline move to Colorado, San Jose sent him to those Devils.
The 6-foot-2, 217-pound goaltender was a fourth-round pick in the 2014 NHL Draft. He entered the league in 2019-20, and for his career he has a 49-67-15 record, a .899 save percentage and 3.33 Goals Against Average over 139 NHL games with the Devils, Sharks and Minnesota Wild.
The former AHL All-Star is a native of Finland just like Avs goalie coach Jussi Parkkila. Kahkonen joins a tumultuous situation in net for the Avs, where third-year starter Alexandar Georgiev was pulled on Opening Night and youngster Justus Annunen has yet to prove his worth in several opportunities.
The messages coming from Avs postgame and in practice the last few days have not been nice about Georgiev, who allowed five goals and Annunen, who allowed another two in the game.
“Fall asleep even for a little bit, I feel like it’s going into our net now,” forward Mikko Rantanen said.
“Every mistake we made tonight ended in the back of our net. Literally almost every one,” head coach Jared Bednar added.
🗣️ Mikko Rantanen
"Fall asleep even for a little bit, I feel like it's going into our net now"#GoAvsGo #VegasBorn pic.twitter.com/9voPSjYUYD
— Guerilla Sports (@guerillasports_) October 10, 2024
🗣️ Jared Bednar
The Avs lose the first game of the season 8-4 against the Vegas Golden Knights.
"Every mistake we made tonight ended in the back of our net. Literally almost every one."#GoAvsGo #VegasBorn pic.twitter.com/rlLDWRZ038
— Guerilla Sports (@guerillasports_) October 10, 2024
Last season Georgiev led the NHL in wins but allowed the most goals in the league and had a save percentage of .897, becoming the first goalie in decades to pull off that level of victory despite stopping such few shots. Really it speaks to how good Colorado’s defense has been the last several years, as they even won a Stanley Cup with a somewhat shakey situation in net. The Avalanche may not have the assets to find a known commodity that is better than Georgiev, so for now general manager Chris MacFarland opts for depth.
