3 disappointing Colorado Avalanche players who are bounce-back candidates for next season feat. Alexandar Georgiev

By Nestor Quixtan

Modified Aug 03, 2024 03:10 GMT

The Colorado Avalanche had another successful regular season last year, with Nathan MacKinnon taking home the Hart Trophy. However, the team failed to make a deep playoff run, falling to the Dallas Stars in the second round.

The unpleasant outcome has prompted fans and analysts to discuss which players need to improve their games heading into the next season. With that in mind, here’s a closer look at three Colorado Avalanche members who need to step up as the team looks to win the Stanley Cup this upcoming season.

---

Three disappointing Colorado Avalanche players who are bounce-back candidates in 2024-25

#3 Artturi Lehkonen

Lehkonen had a solid first season with the Colorado Avalanche. In 2022-23, he registered 51 points in 64 games. The point totals seemed encouraging, especially after notching up 38 points the year before.

However, Lehkonen’s numbers dipped last season. He went from a 20-goal campaign in 2022-23 to 16 last season, with injuries limiting him to 45 games during the regular season.

Considering Lehkonen can stay healthy this upcoming season, the Colorado Avalanche should see him play in their top six. If all goes well, it might not be a stretch to consider that Lehkonen could have a 30-goal season.

#2 Samuel Girard

Girard found a permanent home in Colorado after being drafted by the Nashville Predators. He had been on an upward trajectory, playing in 76 games and notching up 31 points in the 2022-23 season. However, an injury-plagued 2023-24 season saw his point totals drop to 18 points.

While it’s worth pointing out that his defensive numbers improved from a minus-10 to an even 0, Girard only played 59 games, showing signs of inconsistency. But there’s reason to believe that Girard can return to playing a full year in 2024-25.

If that’s the case, Girard and defense partner Josh Manson could go back to being the shutdown pair the Colorado Avalanche need as they look to make a strong showing in the Central Division.

#1 Alexandar Georgiev

The Colorado Avalanche traded for Georgiev after losing Phillip Grubauer to free agency.

In his first year in Colorado, Georgiev played his part. He started 62 games, posting a 2.53 GAA and a .919 SV%. The totals gave Colorado the confidence in knowing they had a bonafide number one in Georgiev.

However, last year Georgiev’s numbers dropped significantly. While he started 62 games again, his GAA spiked to 3.02 and his SV% dipped to .897. While these numbers are not terrible, they aren’t becoming of a true number one NHL goaltender.

In part, it's due to the Avs’ sketchy defense, but Georgiev also shares his part of the blame. The good news is that the team could turn things around next season, playing better defense in front of Georgiev.