Alexandar Georgiev

Georgiev served as the backup to Igor Shesterkin last season with the Rangers, which limited the former's playing time, particularly when considering Shesterkin won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's best goaltender. Georgiev posted mediocre numbers (15-10-2, 2.92 GAA, .898 save percentage) in 33 appearances, but that didn't stop the Stanley Cup champion Avalanche from dealing a couple draft picks to acquire his services this summer. Georgiev has always played better when given a heavier, and he should be considered the favorite to open up the 2022-23 season as Colorado's No. 1 option over Pavel Francouz. That's a gig which could lead to a career year for Georgiev.

Georgiev began his season with a shutout against the Islanders in the Rangers' second game of the year, but it was all downhill from there. His confidence appeared shaken and he played nowhere near as well as his final numbers (8-7-2, 2.71 GAA, .905 save percentage) would lead you to believe. Georgiev has been involved in trade rumors for multiple years, but nothing has come to fruition up to this point. He has proven to be a solid backup at times, but that's about it. Georgiev, now 25 years old and with one year remaining on his contract, should return as Igor Shesterkin's understudy for the 2021-22 season. That's not a gig that will lead to fantasy relevance.

Georgiev was the Rangers' No. 1 netminder for large stretches of the 2019-20 campaign, compiling a 17-14-2 record while posting a 3.04 GAA, .910 save percentage and two shutouts in 34 appearances, but he essentially lost the starting gig to Igor Shesterkin toward the end of the regular season, who finished the year with a 10-2-0 record, a 2.51 GAA and a spectacular .932 save percentage in 12 appearances. Shesterkin will enter the 2020-21 campaign as New York's clear-cut starter, but Georgiev should still see at least 30-35 percent of the work and register a winning record while posting decent GAA and save percentage figures. That won't move the needle much in fantasy, but virtual managers that select Shesterkin early on in this year's draft should make a point of snagging Georgiev in the mid-late-to late rounds, as he'll be one of the best handcuffs available this year.

Georgiev has plenty of upside but a number of obstacles standing in his way. The 23-year-old posted an unimpressive 2.91 GAA in 33 appearances (30 starts) last season, but that was accompanied by a .914 save percentage as the Rangers' abhorrent defense hemorrhaged quality scoring chances in front of him. While he could push for a similar workload this season with Henrik Lundqvist another year older, Georgiev will also have to check the rearview mirror with top goaltending prospect Igor Shesterkin coming stateside after dominating the KHL. Georgiev's numbers should improve since the team in front of him got significantly better this offseason, but he'll need to earn his playing time.

Georgiev got his first taste of NHL action near the end of last season, appearing in 10 games and starting nine. The 22-year-old goaltending prospect flashed some ability with a .918 save percentage, but he posted a 3.15 GAA playing for a Rangers team that blew things up at the trade deadline. New York should be better with a fresh start under a new coaching staff, though Henrik Lundqvist will obviously be the team's top option in net. Still, Georgiev is expected to have the backup job and is thus one Lundqvist injury or slump away from a starting gig at the highest level.