The New York Rangers bought out Henrik Lundqvist to solve their goalie carousel problem a few seasons ago, and one of the reasons behind that decision was the emergence of Alexandar Georgiev. That Georgiev is now out of the NHL entirely, and just signed in the KHL, is quite a shocking fall from grace in such a short time frame that no one saw coming.
Newly signed Alexandar Georgiev is at the Spartak-Ak Bars game today #SPR #KHL pic.twitter.com/ZjB4YQ4sbv
— Hockey News Hub (@HockeyNewsHub) November 25, 2025
Georgiev was a great diamond in the rough development story
The Rangers signed Georgiev with little fanfare on July 19, 2017, and the deal was quite a curious one. At the time Ondrej Pavelec had already been signed to be Henrik Lundqvist's backup, Igor Shesterkin was still in Russia, and the Blueshirts had a duo of Brandon Halverson and Chris Nell designated as a potential tandem in Hartford. Georgiev entered the mix as a potential challenger for the job in Hartford, and he ended up winning the job. His experience at the time consisted of some play in the Liiga, and he posted a 1.70 goals against average and .923 save percentage for TPS before inking a deal with the Blueshirts.
Georgiev did a decent job acclimating to the AHL 12-11-6 with a 2.98 GAA and a .908 save percentage, but an injury to Pavelec fast tracked him to the NHL, and he never looked back. He appeared in 10 games during the 2017-18 season and went 4-4-1 with a 3.15 goals against average, and .918 save percentage. The following season he was a full-time NHL backup at age 21, and he went 14-13-4 with a 2.91 goals against average and a .91 save percentage. The following season was Lundqvist's last with the Rangers, and that year Georgiev appeared in 34 games and went 17-14-2 with a 3.04 goals against average and .910 save percentage.
Rangers choose Georgiev over Lundqvist
As mentioned earlier, the Rangers got to the point where they needed to make a decision, and they chose Georgiev because of his youth and potential. They felt comfortable going with a tandem of Shesterkin and Georgiev. Interestingly enough. after the Rangers bought out Lundqvist, Georgiev would play in just 52 more games for the team across two seasons, and he posted a record of 23-17-4 with a 2.85 goals against average and .901 save percentage.
It's something fans still look back on with some regret, as they hoped for an opportunity for Shesterkin and Lundqvist to play together for just a bit longer. Lundqvist ended up retiring for health reasons before ever playing another game, he signed with the Washington Capitals after the buyout, and it is possible that the transaction ended up being in Henrik's overall best interest.
Georgiev was a great starter until he wasn't
Georgiev's post Rangers remains quite interesting, and his fall from grace along with that doesn't make sense. He was traded to the Colorado Avalance, and in his first year with the team he went 40-16-6 with a 2.53 goals against average and a .918 save percentage. He finished seventh in Vezina voting, and led the league in wins. The following year he went 38-18-5, but this time he posted a 3.02 goals against average and a .897 save percentage. He would start the next season with Colorado, but he appeared in just 18 games before moving the Sharks. In total, Georgiev's final NHL season saw him go 15-26-4 with a 3.71 goals against average and a .875 save percentage.
Georgiev now will try and make it in the KHL
After being bought out by the Buffalo Sabres, Georgiev signed a deal with Spartak Moskva in the KHL. The Bulgarian netminder is returning to Europe to play hockey, and this is his first time in the KHL. Georgiev previously played pro hockey in Finland, but also played in Russia as a U16 and U17 player. He's only 29 years old, and it is possible that Georgiev can rebuild his confidence and put together a decent showing in Russia before trying to make an NHL comeback. It isn't likely, but strange things have happened. But what is clear is that Georgiev never fully lived up to the full potential the Rangers saw in him, but that's OK. He exceeded initial expectations, and was another goalie development success story of Benoit Allaire. The only disappointment is that he ended up out of the NHL as soon as he did, but goalies are a strange breed that are hard to get a handle on.