Goaltending has been a bit of a question mark for the Avalanche. The front office seemed to think it was ready to make a move for the team’s betterment, and that move came sooner than some thought it would.
It was announced on Saturday morning that the Colorado Avalanche have traded goaltender Justus Annunen and a 6th-round pick in the 2025 draft to the Nashville Predators in return for goaltender Scott Wedgewood. Both goaltenders have been in backup positions for their respective teams. With this move, the Avs trade for experience to back up their clear starter, Alexandar Georgiev.
Mandatory Credit: Casey Gower-Imagn
Wedgwood comes to Colorado having appeared in five games so far this season, starting in 4 of them. He holds a 1-2-1 record so far, with a .878 save percentage and 3.69 goals against.
His all-time record sits at 49-50-23 since his NHL debut in 2015. The 32-year-old Brampton, Ontario native has played with the New Jersey Devils, Arizona Coyotes, Dallas Stars, and most recently the Predators.
Wedgewood was drafted 84th overall in the 2010 NHL Draft. He spent the following years in the OHL with the Plymouth Whalers. Following the 2011-12 season, he then played with the Devils’ AHL team, formerly the Albany Devils/Binghamton Devils, now the Utica Comets, and their ECHL affiliate up until his 2015 NHL debut with the New Jersey Devils.
Related: Avalanche sign goaltender Justus Annunen to 2-year contract
Justus Annunen has been in the Colorado system since 2018 when he was drafted 64th overall by the Avalanche. He made his NHL debut in December of 2021 and has played in 29 games with the Avalanche since, where he earned a .902 SV%, a 2.81 GAA, and two shutouts. The 24-year-old netminder holds a record of 16-9-2 in those 29 games and has posed a 6-4-0 record this season alone in the crease.
The Avalanche play on Saturday night against the Edmonton Oilers. Having played a game on Friday, their first game in a back-to-back this weekend, they will not hold a morning skate on Saturday. Alexandar Georgiev will likely start, but Scott Wedgewood should be on his way to Denver to back things up.
