09/19/23: Yesterday, Adrian Dater wrote on X confirming that the Avalanche are indeed “looking for new backup goalie.” He named Halak and DeSmith as options, as well as Calgary Flames netminder Daniel Vladar.
Vladar is an interesting case as the motivation from the Flames to deal him would in all likelihood be in order to clear an NHL spot for top goalie prospect Dustin Wolf. Wolf has accomplished just about everything a goalie could hope to accomplish in the AHL save for a Calder Cup title, posting a 77-20-7 record and .927 save percentage there. He’s a two-time AHL goalie of the year and the reigning AHL MVP, so it’s understandable that the Flames would want to give him a clear path in the NHL next to starter Jacob Markstrom.
What could complicate a Vladar trade is the fact that Vladar is making $2.2mM for the next two seasons, and struggled to the tune of a .895 save percentage last season.
09/14/23: Earlier this afternoon, Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff reported that the Colorado Avalanche will likely be without regular backup goaltender Pavel Francouz to start the year, as the goaltender has not yet fully recovered from an offseason adductor surgery. In one minor comparable to the Gabriel Landeskog situation, the timeline of Francouz’s recovery is seemingly unclear.
As an internal candidate to take over the backup role in Colorado, young netminder Justus Annunen would be the likeliest candidate. Of all the goaltenders in the Avalanche organization, he is one of only three with NHL playing experience, having played in four games over the last two seasons, posting a 2-1-1 record, carrying a .859 SV% and a 3.92 GAA. His numbers in the AHL have been markedly better but he has not struck much confidence at the top level, even with limited playing time, making it unlikely that Colorado will pick him as their second goalie.
In late June, veteran netminder, Jaroslav Halak, indicated that he is committed to playing for the 2023-24 NHL season, despite still finding himself on the free agent market. With little interest in his services up to this point, this may be the situation that Halak had been waiting for. With approximately $500K in cap space after putting Landeskog on LTIR to start the season, if Francouz also finds himself on LTIR to start the year, the Avalanche would have ample space to bring in Halak as a stopgap.
Lastly, in the trade market, the most obvious trade connection for Colorado comes from the Canadian Northeast. Only a few weeks ago, it became public knowledge that after acquiring goaltender Casey DeSmith from the Pittsburgh Penguins due to their involvement in the Erik Karlsson trade, the Montreal Canadiens have committed to finding a different landing spot for him. Last year, as a backup to Tristan Jarry in Pittsburgh, DeSmith posted a 15-16-4 record in 38 games, with a .905 SV% and a 3.17 GAA. Although the backup goaltender position does not typically carry the highest of expectations, DeSmith would likely improve upon those numbers behind a much more capable Colorado defense.
Nevertheless, even in the case of Francouz’s potential placement on LTIR, the Avalanche are going to be a bit close to the cap to start the year and will have to get creative in this situation. Relying heavily on goaltender Alexandar Georgiev last season, if the backup goaltending situation stagnates in Colorado, Georgiev could potentially see even more than 62 starts as he did last season.
Not only should the Georgie-Dog not see 62 starts, he probably should be limited to about maybe 47, with 35 going to the backup.
I gotta disagree with you there. While I think 62 is too many for ANY goalie these days, mid 50s seems ok for Georgie V. He is still improving, and played very well last season. I would hesitate to give any backup 35 starts on a contending team
@M34 – Western conference teams usually travel much more than those in the East, which is why I go with the 47-35 split. His numbers also look much better, with #7 & #8 holding down the Fort. I’m with you as far as the typical backup goalie getting 35 starts, as I think he’d have to be a cut or two above the average bear between the pipes.
Rangers would’ve been a lot better off resigning Jaro, that’s for sure.
When the news came out that the Sens were having problems moving DeSmith I said that it was pretty much a guarantee that there’d be movement on the goalie market before the regular season began.
As is often the case, the training camps and pre-season games often reveal weaknesses in goal or injuries, leaving teams with an urgent need to find a replacement.
The only questions really are “who” and “how much” ?
You mean Habs?
Patience will pay off I think; Avs, Canucks & Seattle could use better backups
Ship Vladar out there. Let the Wolf loose
If you let the Wolf out, he won’t get enough playing time behind Markstrom. He needs to play alot, not as a back up yet. If Markstrom gets hurt, then you have the Wolf Loose.