The Nashville Predators have traded goalie Scott Wedgewood to the Colorado Avalanche for Justus Annunen and a sixth-round pick.

A goaltending shakeup was needed in Colorado, which has the third-worst team goals-against average in the league (3.71 GA/GP). Alexandar Georgiev has not been a reliable starter for a team that has Stanley Cup hopes, and his $3.4 million cap hit makes a trade nearly impossible if the hope is to upgrade in net. Annunen hasn't really been any better, but he had been forced to play more often than he should due to Georgiev's struggles.

That led the Avalanche to Wedgewood, who was decent as a backup in Dallas over two seasons but has also struggled in limited duty in Nashville this season. The Avs are hoping that bringing in the 32-year-old veteran Wedgewood will stabilize the goaltending, although his acquisition hardly seems like the strongest possible fix. If it seems like a desperation move for Colorado, it is because they have a lot riding on this season. Top scorer Mikko Rantanen is rumored to be headed to free agency after the season and will command big dollars, which might be out of reach for the Avs.

After a hugely disappointing first quarter to the season, Nashville is playing the long game by bringing in the 24-year-old Annunen. By trading for a younger goalie, the Predators could be signaling that they are focused on selling at the deadline while regrouping for next season. Gustav Nyquist would be one appealing rental if the Predators cannot climb up the standings soon.

Wedgewood has never been a team's starter, nor has he ever played 40 games in a season. That means Georgiev should continue to be the starter, but he may not be leaned on as heavily. Georgiev has played back-to-back 60-game seasons, but that doesn't seem likely again this season. There's even an outside chance that Wedgewood could take over as the starter if Georgiev continues to struggle.

Juuse Saros has played in at least 60 games for the past three seasons, and he could do it again this season. Don't expect this trade to affect his value a whole lot. Annunen's workload should decrease in Nashville, which could affect his ability to pick up wins. However, the Predators have one of the top goaltending coaches in Mitch Korn, who could help turn Annunen into a bona fide NHL goalie over time.

Players this helps, in order:

Wedgewood

Ilya Nabokov

Players this hurts, in order:

Georgiev

Annunen (short term)

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