Do the Avalanche Finally Have the Goalie Depth to Compete for a Stanley Cup Again?

Sergei Bobrovsky won all 16 playoff games for the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers last year. It’s something that didn’t happen in either 2022 or 2023.

When the Avs were crowned champs two years prior, their starting goalie, Darcy Kuemper won 10 of 16 games. Pavel Francouz had to play clean-up in the first round vs Nashville before coming in and sweeping Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Final. Francouz was 6-0-0.

There’s no saying when the backup might be needed in the post-season. It could be because the starter is struggling. Or in the Avs’ case, it might be because an errant stick pokes him in the eye through his goalie mask.

Last year, Colorado barely trusted its starter, let alone the backup. This year is a lot different.

Mackenzie Blackwood has been a rock for this team since coming over from the San Jose Sharks. He’s been one of the better goalies in the league and has solidified his spot as the starter for the next half-decade.

But what if Blackwood goes down with an injury? Or better yet, what if he has a bad string of games, and the head coach needs to make a tough decision to play the backup? Is Scott Wedgewood up for the challenge?

Wedgewood is 32 years old and has never made a Stanley Cup playoff start during his career.

But if his 9-4-0 record with the Avs is any indication, I don’t think it would be outrageous to play him in a playoff game. Especially when you consider that two of those nine wins have come against the very team Colorado is likely facing in the first round. His former team, the Dallas Stars.

Wedgewood has also started four of the last seven Avalanche games, giving up just six goals while going 4-0-0. He has a shutout sprinkled in there, along with consecutive Colorado wins against Calgary and the Stars.

What Chris MacFarland has been able to do with this roster from Game 1 until the March 7 trade deadline has been miraculous. The prices were high and the assets sent out the door were aplenty, but the team looks deep and ready for the grind of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

There’s no question that none of this would’ve been possible without the goalie trades in the fall. And before Blackwood came in and solidified the starter’s role, Wedgewood was brought in and gave the Avs a much-needed presence between the pipes and in the room.

Whether it’s Blackwood or Wedgewood, I don’t think there’s any game in the upcoming playoffs where the goalie standing in the crease should make you nervous.

And for the first time in years, the backup goalie feels like a solid option. Just like Francouz was in 2022.

What say you?