Veteran Goalie Rules Out Return To Former KHL Club, Attempting NHL Return
Per Hockey News Hub, Georgiev has no plans on returning to Spartak Moscow of the KHL, with his camp reaffirming his intention to continue his career in North America.
Winding Path That's Included Three Leagues In Two Years
Georgiev's recent career has been turbulent.
He signed a one-year, $850,000 deal with the Buffalo Sabres last September, only to clear waivers and terminate the contract after just two appearances with the AHL affiliate.
He landed with Spartak on a two-year deal shortly after, and actually rediscovered his form there, posting a 2.37 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage across 24 regular-season appearances, his best full-season numbers since his peak in Colorado.
Despite that, he requested and was granted his own release from Spartak in June, with a full year still remaining on the deal, betting on himself to find another NHL opportunity instead.
That bet hasn't paid off yet. Nearly three months after returning to North America, Georgiev remains without an NHL contract.
The NHL Path Back Is Difficult
The math isn't in his favor.
Most of the remaining openings around the league are backup jobs rather than legitimate starting opportunities. Georgiev, 30, was once one of the league's more productive goaltenders, leading the NHL with 38 wins during the 2023-24 season with Colorado, before a steep decline saw him traded to San Jose and eventually squeezed out of a job in Buffalo entirely.
Choosing to stay unsigned in the NHL market rather than accept a guaranteed KHL deal is a big gamble, especially with training camps opening within weeks and the number of realistic NHL landing spots shrinking by the day.
