Ilya Nabokov's projected NHL impact, timeline, and role

When the Avs drafted Ilya Nabokov — the son of former NHL netminder Evgeni Nabokov — in the summer of 2024, Chris MacFarland, Joe Sakic, and company believed they had found their goalie of the future. The Kasli, Russia native was fresh off of his first full season as a pro, one that saw him claim a slew of awards. He was voted an All-Star, Rookie of the Year, and playoff MVP as he helped his team, Magnitogorsk Metallurg, claim the KHL's championship trophy, the Gagarin Cup. In the two full seasons since, he has continued his strong play, enough so that he's beginning to turn heads in North America. This includes the Avs officially signing him to a two-year entry-level contract (ELC) the following summer.

While he has yet to dress in a game in North America, he was assigned to the Colorado Eagles in May, and he served as one of a few additional goalies as the Eagles, like the Avs, advanced to their playoffs' Western Conference Final. Both Nabokov and Kyle Keyeser were called upon to, if needed, back up the Eagles' two primary netminders, Trent Miner and Isak Posch.

For the first time since the Philipp Grubauer and Pavel Francouz era, the Avs currently have two solid goaltenders, both of whom are capable, competent, and ready to compete: MacKenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood. Both goaltenders have proven to be a godsend since coming over, just nine days apart in a pair of midseason trades in the 2024-25 season that saw the Avs fully revitalize their options in net. In addition to this, the aforementioned AHL netminders aren't slouches, either. Miner, despite a losing record in his limited NHL experience (1-1-3 in six appearances), has commendable counting stats: a 2.01 GAA and a 0.920 SV%, both of which show an ability to compete in the NHL.

Alongside Miner is 2025-26 AHL All-Star, Isak Posch, who, in his first season as a pro, logged the second-most minutes of any year since his age-16 season with Leksands IF Jr. of the Swedish Junior League back in 2018-19. He and Miner provided the one-two-punch that helped make the Eagles on the AHL's best teams last season. All three of these AHL netminders could be NHL-ready in the coming years; Miner is 25, Posch is 24, and Nabokov is 23.

Alongside their similar ages and talent, these three also have similarly-important season ahead of them. Each of them players is in the final year of their respective ELCs. Given that they'll all be needing new contracts next season — either in Colorado or for another team — there's a strong chance that the Eagles will run with three goalies until two of these three netminders establish themselves as the pair that the Eagles will deploy as they hope for another deep playoff run.
In addition to Blackwood, Wedgewood, Miner, and Posch, the Avs' front office, on June 1, signed Nikita Novosyolov to a two-year ELC.

All of this is indicative of one simple fact: the Avs are not currently deprived of goaltending depth. There are two important factors, however, to keep in mind. First, injuries do happen, and the Avs are more familiar than most teams regarding the in-season roster adjustments that arise throughout a grueling NHL season. Second, the dependability of "the Lumber Yard" will give Nabokov time to mature and develop at the AHL level.

The front office in Denver certainly wants to avoid the pitfalls of rushing a promising goalie into the NHL — something that is oftentimes a disastrous move that seriously hinders the player's growth. Recent examples of this include Devon Levi in Buffalo, Ivan Fedotov in Philadelphia, and Spencer Knight in Florida (although he has definitely found himself a new home in Chicago). While there are plenty of success stories (like Yaroslav Askarov in San Jose, Lukáš Dostál in Anaheim, Jakub Dobeš in Montreal, and Dustin Wolf
in Calgary) to counteract the aforementioned cases, the Avs shouldn't have to take that risk, as they currently have the luxury to take their time with Nabokov, a goaltender who could become the first sustainably-successful, in-house-developed Avs goaltender since Peter Budaj.

The Avs clearly believe that they have found their goaltender of the future in Blackwood (enough so that they signed him to a five-year, $5,250,000 AAV contract), but Wedgewood's continued strong play has forced the Avs to utilize him, This has taken him from a serviceable backup to — alongside Blackwood — a William M. Jennings Trophy winner after putting up the NHL's best individual GAA and SV% statistics across his 45 appearances last season. The Avs' now have a veritable 1A/1B tandem in net, and Wedgewood, himself, just signed an extension to tend the crease in Denver for an additional season.

What does all of this mean for Nabokov? Well, it means the Avs, despite having had some of the worst goaltending in the NHL less than two calendar years ago, now have, if everyone continues to develop at this current clip, options that could be moved to various other teams around the league. It's not often that a goaltender as momentum-laden as Scott Wedgewood even gets mentioned in trade rumors, and the Avs are certainly not shopping him around, but the upside of Trent Miner, and the additions of Posch, Novosyolov, and — most excitingly — Nabokov, does allow for one's mind to wander and consider that if any of those four prospects finds the same level of success in the NHL that they have elsewhere, the Avs could have a wealth of goaltenders: the one position that is both A) the hardest to fill and the most costly to trade for, and B) capable of completing upending a team's season — something that would likely entice another team to overpay for solid goaltending.

In the meantime, as Nabokov gets his first AHL action in the upcoming 2026-27 season, he will have the support and the investment of acting-GM Joe Sakic and the skilled goaltending coaches for both the Avs and the Eagles. There's unquestionably a reality in which Nabokov, by season's end, is donning an Avs sweater and sharing the crease with someone else, be that a result of Nabokov's own strong play, an injury to the oft-injured Blackwood or Wedgewood, or a mid-season trade.

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