Avalanche Continue Low-Cost Offseason With Latest Georgii Merkulov Signing
It's a new week as we are another day closer to the start of the 2026-27 NHL season. The Colorado Avalanche are not done making moves by any means, even if they're under $500,000 in cap space.
The Avalanche on Monday afternoon announced the signing of former Boston Bruins prospect Georgii Merkulov to a one-year deal. The annual average value (AAV) comes to $850,000 at the NHL level and $350,000 at the American Hockey League (AHL) level. When it comes to Merkulov, why could this be a sneaky good deal for the Avalanche?
Merkulov Looking to Prove Himself in New Environment
When it comes to Merkulov's career, he has scored everywhere he has been, especially in North America. Dating back to the 2019-20 season, Merkulov tallied six goals and 33 points in 36 games with the Youngstown Phantoms of the United States Hockey League (USHL). The following season, he had 14 goals and 40 points in 38 games.
After his time with the Phantoms, Merkulov had 20 goals and 34 points in 36 games at The Ohio State University in his lone NCAA season. Between Youngstown and Columbus, Ohio, Merkulov had no issues scoring in the Buckeye state. After playing for the Buckeyes, he signed as a free agent to the Bruins organization, where he had one goal and five points in his first eight AHL games with the Providence Bruins.
Following his first eight games with the P-Bruins of the AHL, he went on to have 93 goals, 142 assists, and 235 points between 2022-23 and 2025-26. He had all of that within 263 AHL games. That's not including the eight games in 2021-22. Overall, Merkulov was a force for the P-Bruins in the AHL over the four full seasons in Rhode Island.
Funny enough, he has been teammates with Fabian Lysell since 2022-23, someone whom the Avalanche acquired in a trade on June 27, 2026. There is a good chance both players could be playing together once again with the Colorado Eagles of the AHL, or maybe even the Avalanche in the NHL.
During his time with the Bruins organization, Merkulov only played 11 NHL games, tallying one point. The most games he played were six back in 2024-25. This could be an opportunity for Merkulov to show what he can do in a new organization. There is no doubt that he can score goals and rack up the points; it's all about getting the opportunity to showcase it on the NHL level.
It'll be interesting to see how the upcoming 2026-27 season goes for Merkulov; whether it's in the AHL or the NHL, he could be someone who will surprise a ton of people. There is no doubt he can score. But will he get the chance to showcase it at the highest level of hockey in the world? Only time will tell.
Zach Martin is originally from Northeast Ohio, but has resided in South Carolina since 2016. He has been a credentialed hockey writer with The Hockey Writers since 2023 as the Carolina Hurricanes beat writer, where he has written player profiles, storylines, game recaps, general pieces and more. Zach had the opportunity to attend the 2026 Stanley Cup Final as credentialed media covering the Carolina Hurricanes. He's written about ESPN's Mike Monaco, along with player exclusives over the last couple of years. Zach has also covered games for the World Juniors, IIHF World Championships, and the 2026 Winter Olympics. He has also covered the Colorado Avalanche and some other NHL teams at large over his time with THW.