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Pavel Francouz Confirms Retirement

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Avalanche netminder Pavel Francouz confirmed his retirement in an interview with ČT Sport on Friday. GM Chris MacFarland told reporters last month that retirement was overwhelmingly likely for the veteran backup due to groin and knee injuries that held him out of the 2023-24 season entirely and marred most of 2022-23. The Czechia native played in parts of four seasons with the Avs.

Francouz played the majority of his professional career overseas, making his top-level debut with his hometown team HC Plzeň in the Czech Extraliga back in 2008-09. He didn’t latch on as a starter until 2012-13 with HC Litvínov, where he remained for three seasons. He was named the best goalie in the Extraliga in two of those campaigns, compiling a .928 SV% and 14 shutouts in 140 games. He was even better in postseason play with Litvínov, putting up a .949 SV%, 1.57 GAA, and six shutouts in 26 games and ending his run with a league championship in 2015.

He then moved to the brighter lights of the Kontinental Hockey League, signing a three-year contract with Traktor Chelyabinsk. Francouz spent another three seasons with the Russian side, earning Best Goaltender and First All-Team honors in the 2017-18 campaign with an impeccable .946 SV%, 1.80 GAA and five shutouts in 35 appearances. He was also the starter for Czechia at the 2018 Winter Olympics, putting up a .905 SV% in six games, but failed to medal.

After six seasons of solidifying his resume as one of the top goalies in Europe, Francouz finally earned his first NHL deal – a one-year, one-way pact with the Avs for the 2018-19 season worth $690K. He spent most of the season on assignment to AHL Colorado, only making two NHL appearances in relief, but won the backup job behind Philipp Grubauer heading into 2019-20. He immediately positioned himself as one of the best backups in the league, posting a .923 SV% in 30 starts and four relief appearances and earning some year-end All-Star consideration. Lower-body injuries unfortunately reared their head immediately, costing him all of the COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign. Upon his return, he again excelled in a backup role behind Darcy Kuemper, making 21 regular-season and seven playoff appearances as the Avs won the Stanley Cup.

Unfortunately, he would never fully rebound from those lower-body injuries. They limited him to 16 starts in 2022-23 and cost him all of the current season, forcing his retirement at age 33.

Francouz concludes his brief but solid NHL career with a .919 SV%, 2.49 GAA and four shutouts in 64 starts and nine relief appearances. He compiled a 44-21-6 record for Colorado and saved 25 goals above average across his four major league campaigns. PHR congratulates Francouz on a spectacular international career and his solid NHL run and wishes him the best in his post-playing days.

Miles Wood Returns Sunday From Lower-Body Injury

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  • The Avalanche have the services of depth winger Miles Wood back in the lineup against the Golden Knights today, per the game’s roster report. The 28-year-old had missed three games with a lower-body injury. Wood, who signed a six-year, $15MM contract to join the Avs last offseason, returns in a third-line role with Ross Colton and trade-deadline pickup Brandon Duhaime. He has nine goals and 24 points in 72 games on the year.

Samuel Girard Enters Concussion Protocol

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  • Avalanche defenseman Samuel Girard left today’s game against the Jets with an upper-body injury and didn’t return, per the team. Head coach Jared Bednar said post-game that he’s entered concussion protocol. It’s a tough blow to a team already reeling from the 7-0 loss to Winnipeg, now primed to lose home-ice advantage in their upcoming first-round series. The 25-year-old Girard has yet again anchored their second pairing behind Cale Makar and Devon Toews, ranking third among Colorado d-men in average time on ice (19:39) and fourth in points per game (0.31). While his three goals and 15 assists in 58 contests have been underwhelming offensive production from the blue-liner, he’s cleaned up his possession game after a difficult couple of seasons. His 55.9 CF% and +7.5 expected rating are his highest since 2020-21.

Rantanen To Return Saturday, Wood Doubtful

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It appears as if the Avalanche will get their top winger back in the lineup for a key divisional matchup on Saturday against Winnipeg.  NHL.com’s Ryan Boulding relays (Twitter link) that Mikko Rantanen is listed as probable for that contest after missing the last week while being in concussion protocol.  The 27-year-old is within striking distance of setting a new career-high in points as he has 102 through 77 games so far; he had 105 in 2022-23.

Colorado Avalanche Reassign Chris Wagner

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Earlier this morning, the Colorado Avalanche announced the organization has reassigned forward Chris Wagner to their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles. While an otherwise unremarkable transaction, the reassignment of Wagner points to the return of Mikko Rantanen to the lineup.

While Rantanen has been out for the team’s last two games due to a concussion, Wagner has been with the team for the better part of two weeks, playing in four of the team’s last five games. In those four contests, Wanger has averaged 6:45 of ice time over 46 shifts, scoring one goal in total.

Before signing a one-year, $775K contract extension with the Avalanche a few days ago, Wagner had primarily been playing in AHL Colorado but has been an oft-called-upon depth forward at the NHL level. Over 13 games with the Avalanche this season, Wagner has scored one goal and two points overall, while also scoring four goals and eight points over 17 games with the Eagles.

With respect to Wagner, Colorado will be more than happy to get Rantanen back into the lineup with three games remaining in the regular season. The Avalanche’s schedule will not get any easier down the stretch after losing an important contest against the Dallas Stars this past weekend. In hopes of earning a fourth-straight Division title, Colorado lines up against the Winnipeg Jets, Vegas Golden Knights, and Edmonton Oilers to close out their regular season.

West Notes: Demko, Dunn, McCann, Rantanen

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The Vancouver Canucks welcomed starting goaltender Thatcher Demko back to practice on Tuesday and could return him to the lineup as soon as Saturday, head coach Rick Tocchet shares with TSN’s Farhan Lalji (Twitter link). Demko is currently on Vancouver’s long-term injured reserve with a knee injury. He hasn’t played since March 9th, missing Vancouver’s last 12 games.

While Tocchet added that the team wants to be careful in easing Demko back in, there’s no doubting they’re ecstatic to have him back in time for playoffs. Demko’s success has been a big part of the Canucks’ climb up the standings, with the 28-year-old posting 34 wins and a .917 save percentage across 49 appearances this season. He ranks third in the league in wins and fifth in save percentage, among starting goalies.

Demko’s strong performances this season have continued his ascension, with the three-year starter in a good position to receive Vezina Trophy votes for just the second time in his career – joining his seventh-place finish in 2022, after he posted 33 wins and a .915 save percentage in 64 games. But he’ll have bigger goals in mind, with Vancouver poised to make the playoffs for just the third time since 2014.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Both Jared McCann and Vince Dunn will miss the Seattle Kraken’s Tuesday game against the Arizona Coyotes, per team reporter Alison Lukan (Twitter link). Head coach Dave Hakstol shared that both players remain day-to-day, with McCann facing a lower-body injury and Dunn nursing an upper-body injury. The pair have been highly impactful this year, each ranked in the top-three of scoring in Seattle, with McCann boasting a team-leading 60 points in 75 games while Dunn has 46 points in 59 games.
  • Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar has shared that forward Mikko Rantanen could return on Saturday, per Ryan Boulding of NHL.com (Twitter link). The star winger has been in concussion protocol after taking a heavy hit from Edmonton Oilers defesneman Mattias Ekholm on Friday. Rantanen eclipsed the 100-point mark for the second-straight seaosn this year, currently carrying 40 goals and 102 points through 77 games.

Miles Wood And Mikko Rantanen Won't Play Tomorrow

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Tampa Bay Lightning reporter Chris Krenn tweeted that Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev skated today in a non-contact jersey but added that head coach Jon Cooper cautioned people to not expect him to return for the first round of the playoffs. Cooper said that if the Lightning were to make it deep in the playoffs, he could return to the lineup, but he was happy to have him skating with the group.

The 25-year-old has played just once since December 19th and has been out of the lineup since fracturing his tibia and fibula back on February 7th in his first game back after suffering a foot injury that kept him out of the lineup for nearly two months.

In 34 games this season, Sergachev has recorded two goals and 17 assists but is a -16.

In other evening notes:

  • Ben Pope of The Chicago Sun-Times tweeted that the conditional 2026 seventh-round pick that the Chicago Blackhawks sent to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for depth forward Rem Pitlick carried the condition of Pitlick playing 30 NHL games and will not be sent to the Penguins. Pitlick has only dressed in nine games for Chicago, meaning the Blackhawks will keep their pick for the 2026 draft. The Penguins were likely okay with losing Pitlick for nothing as he was collecting a $1.1MM salary while playing for their AHL affiliate.
  • Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now is reporting that the Colorado Avalanche will be without forwards Miles Wood and Mikko Rantanen for tomorrow night’s game against Minnesota. Wood will miss his second consecutive game with a lower-body injury and is mired in a 23-game goalless drought. In his first season with Colorado the 28-year-old has nine goals and 15 assists in 72 games. Rantanen on the other hand may skate with the team in the morning but will not play. He is reportedly feeling better after being in concussion protocol and missing last night’s game as well. Rantanen has topped 100 points for the second consecutive season as he has 40 goals and 62 assists in 77 games this season.

Avalanche Notes: Rantanen, Wood, Kovalenko

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Star Avalanche winger Mikko Rantanen has avoided the worst after leaving Friday’s 6-2 loss to the Oilers. He’s entered concussion protocol after taking back-to-back heavy hits from Edmonton blue-liner Mattias Ekholm and is listed as day-to-day, head coach Jared Bednar told reporters (via Meghan Angley of DNVR Sports). Colorado will still be without the Finnish forward in a crucial match against the Stars tonight that will have a major impact on the race for the Central Division title, but it doesn’t appear his absence will stretch into the postseason. Bednar said Rantanen did off-ice workouts yesterday and skated on his own prior to today’s practice. It’s been another banner season for Rantanen, eclipsing the 100-point mark for the second season in a row and leading all forwards in time on ice (23:04/GP). His 62 even-strength points are tied with Oilers center Leon Draisaitl for eighth in the league, and his 62 overall assists are tied for fifth with Draisaitl and Canucks center J.T. Miller.

Other injury notes out of Denver:

  • Middle-six winger Miles Wood is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury, Bednar said (via Angley). He didn’t take the final two shifts of the game against Edmonton with linemates Ross Colton and Zach Parise, although it’s unclear on what play he sustained the injury. He’s provided decent checking-line play in his first season in Colorado, in line with what the Avs expected when they inked him to a controversially lengthy six-year, $15MM deal over the offseason. The 28-year-old has nine goals and 24 points in 72 games, slightly south of his career point-per-game average, but has posted some of the better possession metrics of his career with a +1.7 expected rating and 50.6 CF% at even strength, the latter tying last season’s career-high with the Devils. Former Star Joel Kiviranta will enter the lineup in his place tonight against Dallas.
  • Forward prospect Nikolai Kovalenko still isn’t close to making his Avs debut, per Bednar (via Ryan Boulding of NHL.com). Colorado brought the 24-year-old winger over from the KHL’s Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod after their brief playoff run ended in March, but he’s yet to play for either the Avs or AHL Colorado after playing through an undisclosed injury at the end of the campaign. He’s been skating sparingly and working with the club’s coaching staff in the meantime, but time is running out for the 2018 sixth-round pick to make his NHL debut before the end of the regular season. The son of longtime NHL winger Andrei Kovalenko exploded after a move to Torpedo in 2022, serving as an alternate captain since the transfer and posting 89 points in 98 games. Colorado signed him to an ELC last summer but loaned him back to the KHL for 2023-24.

Avalanche Recall Chris Wagner

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  • The Stars were without veteran forward Tyler Seguin in today’s loss to the Blackhawks, but they’ll get him back in the lineup tomorrow against the Avalanche, Brien Rea of Bally Sports Southwest reports. He’s dealing with a lower-body injury, potentially related to the issue that kept him out for 11 games in February and March. The Stars have been cautious with the 32-year-old’s deployment since he returned a few weeks back, making him a scratch for maintenance/load management reasons against the Sharks early last week. The 2010 second-overall pick is having his best season since missing nearly all of the 2020-21 campaign with a hip injury, potting 23 goals and 50 points in 64 games.
  • After being sent to the minors yesterday, Avalanche center Chris Wagner was recalled back to the NHL roster. The move comes in the wake of an upper-body injury to star winger Mikko Rantanen, who left partway through last night’s 6-2 loss to the Oilers and didn’t return. Wagner gives the Avs 13 healthy forwards without Rantanen, providing additional injury insurance for tomorrow’s all-important clash for divisional playoff positioning against the Stars. He’s got a goal and an assist in 11 games with Colorado this season, his first in the Avs organization.

Taylor Maker Transfers To University Of Maine

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  • After three years at UMass, Avalanche forward Taylor Makar is off to the University of Maine. The 23-year-old, who is Cale’s brother, was Colorado’s seventh-round pick in 2021 (210th overall) but hasn’t had much success so far at the NCAA level and tallied just four goals and five assists in 36 games this season.

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