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Pavel Francouz

Injury Notes: Price, Point, Kuemper

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After playing only five games this season, Carey Price is preparing to get back on the ice with the Montreal Canadiens, as he said today. However, his status is still unknown. The 34-year-old had a Platelet-Rich Plasma injection in his knee and is waiting for it to take hold before he gets back to training and preparing. The netminder said that “I wish I felt better about the situation, but I don’t.”

Price had knee surgery in the 2021 offseason and the injury got reaggravated this season after he returned from personal leave to participate in the NHLPA Player Assistance program. In April, he had a meeting with his surgeon in Manhattan and is now under treatment. Being without their number one goaltender for the next season is a reason for concern for the Montreal Canadiens. If he doesn’t recover in time, they will have to make a plan and go after a goaltender this offseason with Price on LTIR.

  • Tampa Bay fans can celebrate, albeit hesitantly. Forward Brayden Point was doing drills in practice for the first time since his injury in Game 7 in Toronto, per TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. He participated for 55 minutes, doing drills with the taxi squad. While this is not an indicator that he could be back for Game 3, it’s still good news for the team. It can be a needed boost for the current Stanley Cup champions in the series against the Rangers if he’s able to get back.
  • Colorado Hockey Now’s Adrian Dater reports that Darcy Kuemper’s injury doesn’t seem too serious, but that backup netminder Pavel Francouz will likely start Game 3 in any event. Francouz is coming off a 24-save shutout in Game 2 that sparked the Avs to a 2-0 series lead.

Darcy Kuemper Out; Pavel Francouz Likely Starter

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Darcy Kuemper wasn’t on the ice for the Colorado Avalanche at morning skate according to Gene Principe of Sportsnet, as Pavel Francouz and Justus Annunen occupied the nets instead. The veteran netminder was pulled from game one with an upper-body injury, and head coach Jared Bednar wouldn’t comment on the specifics yesterday, other than to say “we’ll see” if he would be ready for game two. Bednar confirmed following the skate that Kuemper is indeed out for tonight’s match.

Kuemper, 32, has dealt with injury issues his entire career and already had a bad-luck incident in the playoffs that took him out for a few games. Against the Nashville Predators in the first round, a stick came through Kuemper’s mask and hit him in the eye, forcing Francouz into the net for a game and a half. While the Avalanche had no trouble finishing that series, they’re in tough against an Edmonton Oilers team that has had no trouble scoring goals.

If it is Francouz, it’s another chance for him to prove not only that he can handle an NHL playoff game, but that he can be part of a tandem for next season. Kuemper is a pending unrestricted free agent, while the 31-year-old Francouz is signed through 2023-24. To this point in his short NHL career, and despite strong regular season numbers, the Czech netminder has been completely unreliable in the postseason, recording an .891 save percentage in nine appearances. Six of those came in the 2020 bubble playoffs when the team ultimately went with Michael Hutchinson in the deciding game seven against the Dallas Stars.

The Oilers meanwhile had their own goaltending issues in game one, which saw Mike Smith pulled from the net after allowing six goals on 25 shots. Darren Dreger of TSN tweets that there is a “strong indication” that the team will go back to Smith for game two, which shouldn’t be much of a surprise given how much faith they have shown in the veteran netminder thus far.

Through 13 games this postseason, Smith has a solid .917 save percentage and even leads the playoffs with two shutouts. While he can be a bit of an adventure at times, there’s little doubt at this point that he gives them the best chance to win.

Injury Notes: Andersen, Point, Kuemper

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The Carolina Hurricanes were meeting with the media for the final time this season as they cleaned out their lockers, and Frederik Andersen finally answered some questions about the mysterious injury that kept him out of the playoffs. The veteran goaltender revealed that he tore his MCL on April 16, his last appearance of the season and a game in which he allowed seven goals on 33 shots.

With Andersen out, the Hurricanes were forced to use Antti Raanta for the entire playoff run, something that he had never done before. While he had some incredible moments, his performance dropped off at the end of the second round, when he was pulled in consecutive games against the New York Rangers. It was nearly the exact same situation that the Toronto Maple Leafs found themselves in with Andersen a year ago, when he was unable to play down the stretch and in the playoffs due to a mysterious lower-body injury. The 32-year-old netminder has one year left on his deal that carries a $4.5MM cap hit.

  • There was an interesting sight today just after the Tampa Bay Lightning left the ice following morning skate, as reporters including Joe Smith of The Athletic spotted Brayden Point doing drills with assistant coach Jeff Halpern. There’s no updated timeline for Point’s return after he left game seven against the Maple Leafs in the first round. The 26-year-old center has led the Lightning in goals during each of the Stanley Cup runs and would be a huge boost if he can re-enter the lineup at some point.
  • Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar wouldn’t give up any details on the upper-body injury that took Darcy Kuemper out of the game last night, and only said “we’ll see” if the veteran goaltender is ready to go in game two. As Mike Chambers of the Denver Post relays, Bednar refuses to get into the injury at this point in the playoffs. He did indicate the team has full confidence in Pavel Francouz, who has now been forced into game action in two of the three Colorado series.

Avalanche Recall Justus Annunen

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The Colorado Avalanche have announced that they have recalled goaltender Justus Annunen from their AHL affiliate, the Colorado Eagles. This move comes in the wake of the eye injury starting goaltender Darcy Kuemper suffered in game three against the Nashville Predators.

Although coach Jared Bednar said after the game that Kuemper was “doing better” and had a chance to play in game four, the recall of Annunen indicates that Kuemper is not 100% certain to return for tomorrow’s contest. That hypothesis is further supported by the scenes at the Avalanche’s practice today, as NHL.com’s Nick Cotsonika reports that “two goalies” were on the ice and “Kuemper [was] not one of them.” Cotsonika also relayed comments from Bednar, who said that Kuemper’s “eye is fine” but that there is “swelling” and that he will play only “if the swelling goes down.” So, in the case that Kuemper’s eye does not fully recover by tomorrow’s game, the team has Annunen ready to backup Pavel Francouz, who would start.

Annunen, 22, was the 64th overall pick in the 2018 draft and has been the team’s AHL starting goalie for most of this season. He has a .893 save percentage in 48 games at the AHL level and has gotten into two NHL games this season, where he has a .863 mark. Assuming Francouz stays healthy, it’s unlikely that the still-developing Annunen will need to see playoff action for the Avalanche, so his callup is more about protecting Kuemper than anything else.

Darcy Kuemper Leaves Game With Apparent Facial Injury

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6:39 pm: From Adrian Dater of the Denver Post, Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said postgame that Kuemper did in fact suffer an eye injury (link). The good news, however, is Bednar noted that Kuemper could actually play in Game Four for Colorado on Monday.

6:06 pm: The Colorado Avalanche announced that goaltender Darcy Kuemper left today’s game and would not return (link). It was late in the first period when Nashville Predators forward Ryan Johansen appeared to accidentally get his stick blade caught in Kuemper’s mask, forcing him to leave the game. He was replaced by Pavel Francouz and later confirmed not to be returning.

Losing Kuemper is nothing short of a major concern for the Avalanche, who acquired him this offseason from the Arizona Coyotes in order to bolster themselves in net ahead of another run at the Stanley Cup. Of course, it’s not yet clear what exactly the nature of Kuemper’s injury is or whether or not he will have to miss any additional time, however an injury near the eye, especially of a goaltender, is concerning.

Kuemper has had some ups and downs for Colorado this season, but ultimately posted a strong .921 save-percentage and 2.54 goals-against average in 57 games. Should Colorado have to go forward with Francouz, they would still be in good hands. The Czech netminder posted nearly identical numbers to Kuemper this season in 21 games, recording a .916 save-percentage and 2.55 goals-against average. Colorado’s situation is one their opponent can empathize with; Nashville lost their starting goaltender, Juuse Saros, ahead of the series, having to rely on a tandem of David Rittich and Connor Ingram.

Central Notes: Dumba, Greenway, Francouz, Beagle

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The availability for Wild defenseman Mathew Dumba heading into the playoffs appears to be uncertain.  Michael Russo of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that head coach Dean Evason is calling the blueliner a “wildcard” in terms of his potential readiness for their opening game against St. Louis.  In particular, Dumba hasn’t been shooting the puck well.  He’d be a big loss for them if he can’t start in the postseason with the 27-year-old logging over 23 minutes a game this season.

Meanwhile, the news is better for winger Jordan Greenway.  While he has already been ruled out for Sunday’s game in Nashville, Evason indicated that Greenway is ahead of Dumba in his recovery which suggests he may be able to return to the Wild’s lineup next week.  The 25-year-old has 23 points in 59 games this season.

More from the Central:

  • Avalanche goaltender Pavel Francouz left Friday’s game against Edmonton early after being hit in the head with a puck on the bench, notes Mike Chambers of the Denver Post. There’s no word on how long the 31-year-old might be out for but any absence would be significant as Francouz has impressed this season with a 2.52 GAA and .918 SV% in 20 games.  Justus Annunen has been recalled from AHL Colorado in a corresponding move.
  • Coyotes center Jay Beagle is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury, reports PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan (Twitter link). The 36-year-old was injured early in Wednesday’s game against Chicago and has been limited to just 33 appearances this season.  While he has been able to win faceoffs at a high level (57.1% this season), Beagle has just two points and has struggled, leading to some questions about his NHL future.  To that end, Beagle told Jose M. Romero of the Arizona Republic earlier this week that he has yet to decide whether to pursue a contract for next season in free agency or to hang up his skates.

Avalanche Sign Pavel Francouz To A Two-Year Extension

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Colorado entered the season with both of their goaltenders slated to hit unrestricted free agency in the summer.  That’s no longer the case as the team announced that Pavel Francouz has signed a two-year extension.  Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the deal carries a $2MM AAV.  GM Joe Sakic released the following statement on the signing:

Pavel is an important component to our goaltending tandem and someone we have full trust in to be a key piece of our team going forward. He has showed tremendous perseverance and dedication in overcoming the challenges and injuries he has faced.

Speaking of those challenges and injuries, the 31-year-old missed all of last season after undergoing double hip surgery and then missed the first 24 games of this season with an ankle injury.  However, since returning, Francouz has done quite well, posting a 2.46 GAA along with a .921 SV% in 14 appearances (11 starts).

Francouz still has a limited track record in North America having only signed with Colorado in 2018; he has just 50 career NHL regular season contests under his belt including those appearances this season.  That, coupled with his injury history, didn’t give him a lot of leverage when it came to his next contract which almost certainly played a role in him deciding to re-sign with the Avalanche for the same price tag as his current deal, a two-year, $4MM pact that was set to expire in July.  His career numbers are close to his 2021-22 ones with a .923 SV% and a 2.42 GAA and if he’s able to maintain that and stay healthy, this has the potential to be quite a bargain for Colorado.

The deal allows Colorado to now shift their focus to starter Darcy Kuemper.  Sakic paid a high price tag to acquire him from the Coyotes after Philipp Grubauer left for Seattle in free agency.  His cap hit this season is $4.5MM (split between Colorado and Arizona) and it will cost more than that either to keep the 31-year-old or replace him with a new starter this summer.  At least Sakic can now go into those discussions knowing that at least part of Colorado’s goaltending tandem will be intact for next season with Francouz’s deal now finalized.

Darcy Kuemper, Cale Makar Placed In COVID Protocol

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7:05pm: At this rate the Avalanche aren’t going to get through the game with a team. Cale Makar has also been placed in the protocol just as the game is starting. The team will be short a defenseman, a forward, and a goalie.

6:41pm: Less than 30 minutes before their game is set to begin, the Colorado Avalanche have announced that Darcy Kuemper won’t be in the net as expected. The goaltender has been added to the COVID protocol, leaving Pavel Francouz to make the start.

Kuemper joins J.T. Compher and Andre Burakovsky who were placed in the protocol just two hours ago, and Devon Toews who went in a few days ago. The team was already expected to play shorthanded upfront, but now appear to need a last-minute replacement to serve as the backup for tonight’s game. They faced a similar situation earlier this season when Kuemper was a late scratch due to injury; Justus Annunen showed up partway through the game that time, but it’s doesn’t look like that’s the plan here. An EBUG–Dustin Smith, according to play-by-play broadcaster Marc Moser–will be the backup.

Not only that, but Francouz himself hasn’t even played in an NHL game since the 2019-20 season. The 31-year-old played four games at the AHL level on a conditioning stint, but was only activated off long-term injured reserve four days ago. He’s now the team’s only option tonight, and perhaps moving forward. If Kuemper has tested positive and is symptomatic, he’ll have to quarantine (on the road) for a minimum of ten days.

Colorado Avalanche Recall Pavel Francouz From Conditioning Loan

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Some good news is on the horizon for the goalie situation in Denver. Per Colorado Hockey Now’s Adrian Dater, the team has recalled goalie Pavel Francouz from his conditioning loan with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, paving the way for his NHL return after missing over a full season due to injury.

Francouz last played an NHL game on August 30, 2020, during Colorado’s Second Round playoff loss to the Dallas Stars in 2020. He then spent the entire 2020-21 campaign on injured reserve.

He looked to return to his position as backup in Colorado this season, but was injured again during a preseason game. After an excellent four-game conditioning stint (.945 save percentage, 3-1-0 record) in the AHL, it looks as though Francouz is finally healthy enough to reliably return to NHL action.

Francouz has put up impressive numbers in limited appearances, but his career .923 save percentage and 21-9-4 record should give some hope to an Avalanche team that’s had goaltending inconsistencies early this season.

Snapshots: Canadiens, Avalanche Injuries, Comeau

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It has been a rocky start for the Canadiens this season who have managed just five victories in their first 20 games of the season just months after appearing in the Stanley Cup Final.  Despite that, GM Marc Bergevin told Sportsnet’s Eric Engels that he isn’t interested in making a trade to simply try to shake things up:

If I make one move to make one change, unless everyone else picks it up, it’s not going to make a difference. It’s well known that just making trades to make trades—especially with our situation with the cap—it just makes no sense to make a lateral move just to make a lateral move. If you’d like to make a move, it’s to make a move to make your team better. Just making a move to make a move, I’m never going to do that just to say I made a trade and here we go.

Notwithstanding Bergevin’s contract situation, a complicating factor in any move he tries to make is Montreal’s salary cap situation.  On the surface, they have plenty of room with Carey Price and Paul Byron joining Shea Weber on LTIR.  However, only Weber is out for the season so when Price and Byron are activated, they will basically be in a spot where they’ll need to match or clear money to make a move.  It’s a bit early in the year for those types of trades so don’t expect much on the trade from the Canadiens anytime soon.

Elsewhere around the NHL:

  • Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon could return at some point on their five-game road trip that begins at the start of next month, notes NHL.com’s Rick Sadowski. He has missed the last two weeks with a lower-body injury but still sits fifth in team scoring with ten points in nine games.  Meanwhile, Sadowski adds that goaltender Pavel Francouz faced shots for the first time at practice today as he tries to work his way back from a lower-body injury of his own that has kept him out for the whole season so far.  The team hasn’t shown much confidence in current backup Jonas Johansson so getting Francouz back soon would give them a boost between the pipes.
  • After clearing waivers earlier this month, Dallas winger Blake Comeau hasn’t made it to the AHL just yet. Instead, it turns out that he is dealing with a nagging injury, relays Mike Heika of the Stars team site (Twitter link).  The plan is for the 35-year-old to be re-evaluated in three weeks.  Comeau had a goal in six games before passing through waivers unclaimed while averaging just 11:28 per game.

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