Alexandar Georgiev gets multi-year extension from Avalanche after Rangers trade

General manager Joe Sakic wasted no time locking up Alexandar Georgiev.

The Avalanche announced a three-year extension for the former Rangers netminder, with an average annual value of $3.4 million, per SportsNet’s Elliotte Friedman. An extension of some sort was essentially a formality for Georgiev after the Rangers dealt his rights to Colorado for three draft picks on Thursday. This year’s Stanley Cup champions had until Monday’s 5 p.m. deadline to give Georgiev a qualifying offer, but bypassed that altogether by signing him, closing off the possibility of an offer sheet.

With the deal inked, Georgiev wrote an emotional farewell to the Rangers on Instagram. He thanking them for the chance they gave him five years ago but said he is “super excited for the new chapter” in Colorado.

“From getting the first nhl call up and reading the Letter to seeing this team become a contender and make a run at the cup. From playing in covid bubbles to having full stadiums with celebrities behind the bench, it’s really been a journey full of memories,” Georgiev wrote.

With Darcy Kuemper hitting unrestricted free agency and likely to leave Colorado, Georgiev is expected to have a chance to be the team’s No. 1 netminder ahead of Pavel Francouz this season. Caught between the reigns of Henrik Lundqvist and Igor Shesterkin in New York, Georgiev never got such a chance with the Rangers — and made little secret of his displeasure at the situation.