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Jonas Johansson

Pavel Francouz Out 3-4 Weeks; Bednar To Miss Preseason Games

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The injuries continue for Colorado Avalanche goaltender Pavel Francouz, who will be out three to four weeks with a lower-body issue. Francouz missed all of last season and has played just 36 regular season games since signing with the Avalanche in 2018. The team also announced that head coach Jared Bednar has tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss the team’s remaining two preseason games. In his absence, assistant coaches Ray Bennett and Nolan Pratt will takeover.

While losing the head coach is a big blow, it’s Francouz’s absence that is the real headline for the Avalanche. The backup goaltender was expected to carry a steady load this season to help new start Darcy Kuemper stay healthy and fresh, but will now once again be out to start the year. When he’s been healthy enough to play, Francouz has been outstanding, posting a .923 save percentage in those 36 appearances. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been available to the team when they’ve needed him most and is now out of the picture.

One positive is the strong goaltending depth that the team has built, with Hunter Miska and Jonas Johansson in the system. Even beyond them, Justus Annunen sits in the minor leagues as the future at the position, though he has played only three games at the AHL level to this point. There will likely be an opportunity for Colorado to claim another goaltender off waivers in the coming days as well if they choose to, as teams try to slide their third-string options down to the minor leagues.

Snapshots: Extensions, Varlamov, Francouz

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As is human nature, the 2021-22 season has not even started and discussion of the 2022 off-season has already begun. Tracking the impending free agent class, whose numbers inevitably decrease each year, is part of every season. Some will sign extensions soon, others will wait and see how the season progresses, and others are bound for the open market (and possibly the rental trade market beforehand). Pierre LeBrun writes for The Athletic that some of the biggest names among potential 2022 UFA’s are unlikely to become available. In fact, he believes the prize of the market, Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov, has quietly been making steady progress on a new deal and could sign soon. LeBrun also reports that the Dallas Stars and John Klingberg are having “good and constant dialogue” on an extension while, unsurprisingly, future Hall of Famer Patrice Bergeron will have the deal of his choosing from the Boston Bruins if he feels healthy this season and decides to extend his career. Less certain are the futures of Tomas Hertl and Morgan Rielly, who could be the top targets on the free agent market if they don’t re-sign with their current teams. The San Jose Sharks are still hopeful they can re-sign Hertl, but that could very well depend on their success this season and whether a continued relationship makes sense, especially if Hertl could be a trade deadline gold mine. LeBrun feels Hertl’s days in San Jose are numbered. Barring an unforeseen disaster, Rielly will remain with the Toronto Maple Leafs all year, but the team will have to do some serious work early next summer in order to clear the cap space for an extension. LeBrun does not expect a resolution, one way or another, until after the season. Pittsburgh Penguins veterans Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are expiring contracts whose futures are still too early to call, among many others across the league including restricted free agents as well. There will plenty to watch, as usual, over the course of the coming season.

  • The New York Islanders are already facing some concerns in net. The team was taking a risky approach to their net depth as is by entering the season with cold veterans Cory Schneider and Ken Appleby as the backups to their NHL tandem of Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov. They may now be forced to call upon one of the two right away, as Newsday’s Andrew Gross reports that Varlamov will not play in either of the Isles’ final two preseason games and is unlikely to be available for opening night, per head coach Barry Trotz. Schneider and Appleby played a combined nine games last season, all with AHL Bridgeport. Appleby has not played an NHL game since 2017-18 and Schneider has a .903 save percentage and 3.07 GAA over his last 79 NHL appearances. If the Islanders need to rely on either at the NHL level for an extended period of time this season, it could mean trouble. New York is hoping Varlamov can get back to action soon.
  • The Colorado Avalanche dealt with their own goaltending depth problems last season when backup Pavel Francouz was lost for the year. While Philipp Grubauer was a workhorse for Colorado, the absence of an established understudy led to young Hunter Miska receiving NHL experience and eventually the acquisition of Jonas Johansson, who performed well late in the year. Fortunately for the Avs both are back this season, as Francouz is already back in the injury spotlight. Francouz suffered a lower-body injury in Tuesday night’s preseason game, reports Colorado Hockey Now’s Scott MacDonald. While head coach Jared Bednar denied that the issue was related to Francouz’s 2020-21 issues, it is hard to feel confident about the veteran goaltender playing on two surgically-repaired hips when he is already experiencing another injury. There is expected to be an update on Francouz’s condition later this week. Johansson would be the next man up if Francouz is unable to start the season, though new starter Darcy Kuemper is capable of being a workhorse himself if need be.

Colorado Avalanche Hire Peter Budaj

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A familiar face is heading back to Denver. Colorado Hockey Now’s Adrian Dater reports that Peter Budaj has been hired by the Colorado Avalanche as the “Development Goaltending Coach”. Budaj returns to the NHL organization responsible for his own pro development to assist with the same for the Avs’ goaltending prospects. Dater states that Budaj will primarily be responsible for communicating with and advising Colorado’s goalies outside of the pro ranks. He will likely have a major presence at development and training camps and could have input into the drafting goaltending prospects as well.

Budaj, 38, only retired in 2019 after a career renaissance extended his playing days well beyond what had been anticipated. A second-round pick of the Avalanche in 2001, Budaj got his start in the NHL in 2005 and spent six years with Colorado. He then moved on to the Montreal Canadiens for several seasons, but by 2016 had spent the past two seasons almost exclusively in the AHL. Yet, injuries to the Los Angeles Kings keepers the following season gave Budaj another chance and he responded with an elite season, the best of his career by far. This led to a trade to the Tampa Bay Lightning and then eventually a return to L.A. that extended his career several seasons after it seemed to be winding down in 2016.

Budaj jumped into coaching immediately after retirement, taking an assistant coach position with both the Bozeman Ice Dogs of the NA3HL and at Montana State University with their ACHA club. After a year off during the pandemic, Budaj is ready to take the next step, jumping into a key developmental role for his former team. Interestingly though, it is not clear who Budaj will be working with this season. The AHL’s Colorado Eagles have their own goaltending coach, so if young prospect keepers Justus Annunen and Trent Miner wind up in Loveland despite Jonas Johansson and Hunter Miska also slated for jobs with the Eagles, it leaves little for Budaj to work with. Perhaps if either are demoted to the ECHL or loaned elsewhere, that will become Budaj’s focus this year. The only other prospect goalie in the organization is Russian Shamil Shmakov, who is expected to play in the second tier VHL this year. Regardless of who ends up working with Budaj, they will benefit from the veteran’s experience and knowledge of the position.

Colorado Avalanche Re-Sign Jonas Johansson

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The Colorado Avalanche are going to keep one of their midseason acquisitions, re-signing Jonas Johansson to a one-year contract. The depth goaltender was acquired from the Buffalo Sabres in March and was set to become a Group VI unrestricted free agent this summer. Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports that the two-way deal will carry an NHL salary of $750K.

Johansson, 25, has played just 21 games in the NHL to this point in his career, despite being a relatively high draft pick in 2014. Selected 61st overall, he slowly worked his way up through the Sabres minor league system, making his NHL debut in 2019-20. Unfortunately, that debut didn’t go very well, with Johansson posting an .894 save percentage in six appearances. He struggled again at the start of 2020-21 when the Sabres were desperate for competent goaltending, leading to the trade with the Avalanche.

Amazingly, things seemed to immediately turned around when put behind a more capable lineup. In Colorado, Johansson posted a .913 save percentage in eight appearances, even recording his first NHL shutout. His 5-1-1 record for the Avalanche showed he could at least be a depth option, if not a full-time backup at the NHL level next season.

At the league minimum, that can be quite a valuable asset for the Avalanche, though Johansson will have to clear waivers to report to the minor leagues. That could mean he is a target of many teams in training camp, should they go through any goaltending injuries early on.

Trade Deadline Summary: West Division

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The NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone. A relatively slow day ended with a late burst, as many teams jumped into the mix at the last minute. How do you think your team did? Share your deadline grades in the comments for teams in the West Division.

Anaheim Ducks
Status: Seller

In – D Haydn Fleury, F Alexander Volkov, 2022 fifth-round pick (TOR)
Out – D Ben Hutton, D Jani Hakanpaa, F Antoine Morand, 2022 sixth-round pick, conditional 2023 seventh-round pick

Arizona Coyotes
Status: Neutral

In – None
Out – None

Colorado Avalanche
Status: Buyer

In – F Carl Soderberg, D Patrik Nemeth, G Devan Dubnyk, G Jonas Johansson
Out – D Greg Pateryn, F Josh Dickinson, F Ryder Rolston, 2022 fourth-round pick, 2021 fifth-round pick, 2021 sixth-round pick

Los Angeles Kings
Status: Neutral

In – F Brendan Lemieux, D Christian Wolanin, conditional 2022 third-round pick (PIT), conditional 2023 fourth-round pick (PIT)
Out – F Jeff Carter, F Michael Amadio, 2021 fourth-round pick

Minnesota Wild
Status: Buyer

In – None
Out – None

San Jose Sharks
Status: Neutral

In – F Alexander Barabanov, D Greg Pateryn, G Magnus Chrona, 2021 fourth-round pick (TOR), 2021 fifth-round pick (COL), 2022 fifth-round pick (BUF via VGK)
Out – G Devan Dubnyk, F Stefan Noesen, F Antti Suomela, D Fredrik Claesson, D Nick DeSimone, 2021 fourth-round pick

St. Louis Blues
Status: Neutral

In – None
Out – None

Vegas Golden Knights
Status: Buyer

In – F Mattias Janmark, D Nick DeSimone, 2022 fifth-round pick (CHI)
Out – 2021 second-round pick, 2022 third-round pick, 2022 fifth-round pick

Trade Deadline Summary: East Division

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The NHL Trade Deadline has come and gone. A relatively slow day ended with a late burst, as many teams jumped into the mix at the last minute. How do you think your team did? Share your deadline grades in the comments for teams in the East Division.

Boston Bruins
Status: Buyer

In – F Taylor Hall, F Curtis Lazar, D Mike Reilly
Out – F Anders Bjork, 2021 second-round pick, 2022 third-round pick

Buffalo Sabres
Status: Seller

In – F Anders Bjork, 2021 second-round pick (BOS), 2021 third-round pick (FLA), 2021 third-round pick (MTL), 2021 fifth-round pick (MTL), 2021 sixth-round pick (COL)
Out – F Taylor Hall, F Eric Staal, D Brandon Montour, F Curtis Lazar, G Jonas Johansson

New Jersey Devils
Status: Seller

In – D Jonas Siegenthaler, F A.J. Greer, F Mason Jobst, 2021 first-round pick (NYI), conditional 2021 fourth-round pick (NYI), conditional 2022 fourth-round pick (EDM)
Out – F Kyle Palmieri, F Travis Zajac, D Dmitry Kulikov, 2021 third-round pick

New York Islanders
Status: Buyer

In – F Kyle Palmieri, F Travis Zajac, D Braydon Coburn
Out – F A.J. Greer, F Mason Jobst, 2021 first-round pick, conditional 2021 fourth-round pick, 2022 seventh-round pick

New York Rangers
Status: Neutral

In – 2021 fourth-round pick (LAK)
Out – F Brendan Lemieux

Philadelphia Flyers
Status: Neutral

In – 2021 fifth-round pick (VGK via WAS), 2022 seventh-round pick (STL via MTL)
Out – F Michael Raffl, D Erik Gustafsson

Pittsburgh Penguins
Status: Buyer

In – F Jeff Carter
Out – conditional 2022 third-round pick, conditional 2023 fourth-round pick

Washington Capitals
Status: Buyer

In – F Anthony Mantha, F Michael Raffl, conditional 2021 third-round pick (ARI/NJ)
Out – F Jakub Vrana, F Richard Panik, D Jonas Siegenthaler, 2021 first-round pick, 2022 second-round pick, 2021 fifth-round pick

Buffalo Sabres Trade Jonas Johansson

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When Michael Houser was signed to an NHL contract yesterday, some wondered whether it meant a trade was coming for one of the other Buffalo Sabres goaltenders. That was a good prediction, as Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports Jonas Johansson is on his way to the Colorado Avalanche for a 2021 sixth-round pick. The deal, which was first reported by Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News yesterday when Johansson was not at practice, had a slight hold up but has now been completed.

Johansson, 25, was the 61st overall pick in 2014 and has climbed the ranks of the Buffalo organization over the last few years. In 2019-20 he posted a .921 save percentage in 22 games for the Rochester Americans, while also making his first appearance at the NHL level. Expected to challenge Carter Hutton this season for the Sabres backup role, he has struggled instead, posting an 0-5-1 record and .884 save percentage in seven appearances. John Vogl of The Athletic called him the worst goalie he’s seen in 19 seasons covering the Sabres, though obviously, the Avalanche believe he can provide some value for the team.

Perhaps that’s because for Colorado, an .884 would be a tremendous upgrade at the backup goaltending position. With Pavel Francouz injured, the team has used Hunter Miska in that role this season, where he has registered an .838 in five appearances. With their sights set on the postseason and not much proven talent behind starter Philipp Grubauer, the Avalanche have decided to add another name to the mix.

While a sixth-round pick doesn’t mean much in the long run, it could signal the start of a fire sale in Buffalo. Johansson is set to become a Group VI unrestricted free agent in the summer and could be just the first of several rentals sold off as the deadline approaches. The Sabres have quite a few expiring contracts, including Taylor Hall, Eric Staal, Tobias Rieder, Riley Sheahan, Brandon Montour, Matt Irwin, Jake McCabe, Linus Ullmark and Hutton. Any number of those could be on their way out, especially if GM Kevyn Adams is happy to take draft picks in return for the lesser names.

Linus Ullmark To Miss At Least A Month

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Yesterday, Sabres head coach Ralph Krueger indicated that he was hopeful that goaltender Linus Ullmark would be in a day-to-day situation after missing their two games this weekend.  Unfortunately for him and Buffalo, that isn’t the case.  Speaking with reporters before today’s matinee including Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News (Twitter link), the best-case scenario for the netminder is that he’ll be back in a month.

Ullmark sustained the lower-body injury in the first period of Thursday’s game against New Jersey after making a stop on Nico Hischier.  Carter Hutton took his place after the period ended and is likely to play both games against the Flyers this weekend but Harrington suggests in a separate tweet that the Sabres may have to look outside the organization beyond that point.

That may be a good idea for GM Kevyn Adams.  While Ullmark has done well this season with a 2.44 GAA and a .919 SV%, Hutton’s regression has continued.  After putting up career-worsts in GAA (3.18) and SV% (.898) in 2019-20, he has failed to improve upon those this season, checking in at 3.24 and .889 respectively heading into today’s contest.  Technically still just six points out of a playoff spot, their postseason hopes aren’t entirely dashed but relying on Hutton to carry the load while trying to stay in the mix would be risky.

However, goaltending depth has been hard to come by this season as they’ve been snatched up off waivers routinely to the point where some teams are simply carrying three goalies to avoid the risk of losing their third-stringer for nothing.  That means that trading for a short-term upgrade is even going to be harder than usual.

In the meantime, Jonas Johansson has been promoted from the taxi squad and will serve as Hutton’s backup this weekend.  We’ll soon see if they’re able to bring someone else in or if they’ll indeed be filling Ullmark’s absence internally until he’s able to return.

Buffalo Sabres Loan Jonas Johansson To Germany

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After making his NHL debut this past season and putting up stellar numbers in the AHL, young Buffalo Sabres goaltender Jonas Johansson is hoping to take the next step this coming season. Given the struggles that veteran Carter Hutton experienced this year, Johansson should have the opportunity to challenge for an NHL role from the get-go. Being fully prepared for a training camp battle will be a major factor in Johnasson’s odds in the position battle, so the net minder is getting an early start to his season. The Krefeld Pinguine of Germany’s DEL have announced that they have acquired Johansson on loan from the Sabres.

The DEL has postponed its regular season start until mid-December, but the league has put together a preseason tournament for eight of their 14 teams, called the Magenta Sport Cup. Johansson’s loan covers the extent of the tournament, which begins on November 11. After that point, it is unclear if he will stay with the Krefeld or will return to Buffalo in anticipation of NHL training camp opening.

By landing Johansson, Krefeld gets a goalie who recorded a .921 save percentage and 2.28 GAA in the AHL last season, both of which were top-ten marks. While he was limited to just five AHL appearances in 2018-19, his performance was even better. Johansson, 25, stands 6’5″ and 214 lbs. and is a great positional goaltender. He will be a major asset for Krefeld, as he hopes to be in the backup role for Buffalo.

Buffalo Sabres Re-Sign Jonas Johansson

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The Buffalo Sabres have completed a bit of offseason work, signing goaltender Jonas Johansson to a one-year contract worth $700K. Johansson was a pending restricted free agent.

If you can remember all the way back to February, you’ll recall that for a little while the Sabres were without both Carter Hutton and Linus Ullmark at the same time. That’s when Johansson got his first chance at the NHL level, playing in six games and actually faring relatively well. The 25-year-old goaltender posted an .894 save percentage, stopping 135 of 151 shots.

In the minor leagues, he did much better and that’s where Johansson is likely heading once again in 2020-21. A third-round pick in 2014 he could actually become a Group VI unrestricted free agent when this contract expires, but he’s doesn’t appear to be the answer just yet for the Sabres at the NHL level.

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