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Pavel Francouz

Central Notes: Cogliano, Francouz, Colorado Goaltending, Everblades

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A pair of former Avalanche players will be sticking around the organization.  The team announced that Andrew Cogliano has been appointed as a Special Assistant to General Manager Chris MacFarland while Pavel Francouz is now a Goaltending Scout.  Cogliano retired in May after a 17-year NHL career spanning nearly 1,300 NHL appearances, the last three of which were spent with the Avs.  Francouz, meanwhile, was supposed to be the backup to Alexandar Georgiev last season but didn’t play due to a lower-body injury.  He unofficially served in a scouting capacity during the season and now has had that role formalized.

More from the Central:

  • Still with the Avalanche, Corey Masisak of The Denver Post wonders if they might wait until training camp to add another netminder as they did last season when they picked up Ivan Prosvetov off waivers. Notably, Justus Annunen is now waiver-eligible and wouldn’t be a lock to clear after putting up a 2.25 GAA and a .928 SV% in 14 appearances last season.  However, with the team set to have some extra cap flexibility to start the year with Valeri Nichushkin not counting against the salary cap while in the third phase of the Player Assistance Program, Colorado could elect to carry three goalies and have a battle for the backup position extend into the regular season.
  • The Blues will have an ECHL affiliate for next season as the Florida Everblades announced that they’ve reached a multi-year affiliation agreement with St. Louis. It’s the first time the Blues have had a full affiliation at this level since the 2019-20 campaign.  The Everblades, meanwhile, have won the Kelly Cup for three straight years while affiliated with two different NHL teams, Nashville and Florida but announced last month that they’d be seeking a new parent franchise which they now have.

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.

Pavel Francouz May Be Headed For Retirement

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Meghan Angley of DNVR Avalanche is reporting that Colorado Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland provided an update today on the status of injured netminder Pavel Francouz. MacFarland said that the goaltender’s situation could lead to retirement because of the nature of his injury. He added that there are no plans for Francouz to ramp up his efforts to return to NHL action.

Francouz has been sidelined this year with a groin injury and was ruled out of action for this season back in November 2023. He returned to Czechia to be with his family at that time leading to speculation about the severity of his injury.

The 33-year-old hasn’t played since April 9th, 2023, and made 16 appearances during the 2022-23 season, recording an 8-7-1 record with a 2.61 goals-against average and .915 save percentage. He was a key part of the Avalanche’s 2022 Stanley Cup run, particularly in the Western Conference Finals against the Edmonton Oilers. Francouz went 6-0 in that playoff run with a shutout and a 2.81 goals-against average.

If this is the end for Francouz it will leave a big hole for the Avalanche to fill both on the ice and in the dressing room. Aside from being a fan favorite, Francouz has repeatedly shown a desire to stay with the Avalanche for less than market value signing a two-year $4MM extension back in 2022. The Avalanche will be hard-pressed to find similar value this summer on the free-agent market.

Should Francouz retire, it will be a sad ending to a rock-solid NHL career as one of the better backups we’ve seen in recent memory. Francouz has compiled a 44-21-6 record in 73 appearances along with a .919 career save percentage and a 2.49 goals-against average.

Pavel Francouz To Miss Rest Of The Season

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Although he has not played in a game since April 9th of the 2022-23 regular season, the Colorado Avalanche have announced that backup goaltender Pavel Francouz will miss the rest of the 2023-24 season with a lower-body injury. In the meantime, Francouz will return to the Czech Republic to be with his family and will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.

From the perspective of the Avalanche, Francouz’s status does give the team more long-term clarity on his LTIR relief, meaning the team will be guaranteed that Francouz’s $2MM salary will be off the books come the trade deadline. Unfortunately, the goaltender’s status does create a bit of an issue in the crease for the Stanley Cup contenders moving forward.

Although he has been a part of the team for the last five seasons, signing a one-year, $690 thousand contract out of the KHL before the 2018-19 season, Francouz will forever be a part of Avalanche history after his performance in the 2021-22 season. In 21 games played serving behind Darcy Kuemper, Francouz held a 15-5-1 record, with a .916 SV% and a 2.55 GAA, which are generally considered very solid numbers for a backup goaltender.

In the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs, Francouz had to fill in on several different occasions as the starting netminder, especially during the Western Conference Finals against the Edmonton Oilers. In six games played during those playoffs, Francouz held a 5-0-0 record with a .907 SV%, including a shutout in game two of the team’s series against Edmonton, becoming a fundamental factor in their Stanley Cup victory.

Receiving an adductor surgery after the team’s first-round loss to the Seattle Kraken in last year’s playoffs, Francouz’s groin is still giving him too much trouble to compete at the NHL level. To replace Francouz in the backup spot, the team nabbed Ivan Prosvetov shortly before the start of the regular season on waivers, who had previously played for the Arizona Coyotes.

With Alexandar Georgiev receiving the healthy majority of starts in Colorado’s net, Prosvetov has only managed to squeak into four games, carrying a 1-1-0 record, coupled with a .899 SV% and a 2.90 GAA. The production has not been much better from Georgiev, who has a 7-4-0 record in 11 games but holds a .887 SV% and a 3.29 GAA, showing a stark falloff early in the season from where the Avalanche’s goaltending situation was only a season ago.

Colorado Avalanche Place Pavel Francouz On LTIR, Recall Two

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The Colorado Avalanche have placed backup netminder Pavel Francouz on long-term injured reserve, providing the necessary cap space for the club to recall two players: forward Riley Tufte and netminder Justus Annunen.

Francouz remains out dealing with a long-term injury, and the Avalanche have been proactive in shoring up their backup goalie job in his absence. The club claimed former Arizona Coyotes netminder Ivan Prosvetov off of waivers yesterday, and now appear to be setting up for Annunen and Prosvetov to compete for starts behind starter Alexandar Georgiev.

Tufte, like Prosvetov, found himself on season-opening waivers although he ended up unclaimed. That allowed the Avalanche to temporarily stash the 2016 first-round pick in the AHL before returning him to the NHL today.

Tufte is a hulking six-foot-six winger whose offense never quite developed as hoped, though he did score 19 goals in the AHL last season. He’s slated to grapple for a bottom-six role in head coach Jared Bednar’s lineup this season.

Avalanche Expect Josh Manson Back For Season Opener, Pavel Francouz Still Sidelined

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The Colorado Avalanche expect defenseman Josh Manson will be ready for the team’s season opener on October 11 in Los Angeles; however, they also confirmed backup goaltender Pavel Francouz will begin the season on the shelf, head coach Jared Bednar told reporters Monday. Neither player has appeared during preseason action thus far.

Manson has not suited up since Game 5 of the Avalanche’s first-round loss at the hands of the Seattle Kraken in seven games. Today, Manson told reporters, including NHL.com’s Ryan Boulding, that he tore an oblique muscle earlier in the series and could not continue playing through it, resulting in offseason surgery. Bednar mentioned last month that Manson is also rehabbing a separate lower-body injury.

Meanwhile, Colorado announced at the beginning of the offseason that Francouz had undergone adductor surgery and was expected to be ready in time for training camp, but that hasn’t happened. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported last month that the Avalanche were eyeing the trade market for goalie insurance as they no longer believed Francouz would be ready for the start of the season, and the oft-injured backup still has an unclear timeline for a return. Much like the Tampa Bay Lightning, who are dealing with a much more consequential injury to starter Andrei Vasilevskiy, Colorado could look to make a waiver claim to add goalie depth as more third-string options hit the wire, as the Columbus Blue Jackets did with Spencer Martin last week.

It’s certainly not a good sign for Francouz, who’s still managed to be effective during his time as a backup option in Colorado despite a lengthy injury history. Making 73 regular-season appearances for the Avs since coming over from Europe in 2018 at the age of 28, the Czech goalie missed the entire 2020-21 season and the first 24 games of 2021-22 with an ankle injury. A recurring lower-body injury limited him to just 16 starts last season as well. For now, 23-year-old prospect Justus Annunen is the presumptive backup to starter Alexandar Georgiev.

However, it’s certainly good news regarding Manson, who spent most of the first season of a four-year deal last year on the shelf. Recording ten points in just 27 games, Manson averaged 17:41 per game during his first full season in the Mile High City. Manson is no stranger to consistent injuries, however, eclipsing the 70-game mark just four times during his eight-year career with the Anaheim Ducks before coming over to Colorado at the 2022 trade deadline. With both Bowen Byram and Samuel Girard able to play their off-side, expect a more limited third-pair role for Manson to start 2023-24 as the 31-year-old rebounds from a tough campaign. It’s far from ideal, however, given his substantial $4.5MM cap hit through the 2025-26 season.

Colorado Avalanche Eyeing Goalie Market

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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.

Injury Notes: Manson, Francouz, Clarke, Avon

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Colorado Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland told reporters today that he expects defenseman Josh Manson to be ready for the start of training camp after an offseason procedure. Manson missed the last two games of Colorado’s first-round loss to the Seattle Kraken with an undisclosed injury, likely related to the procedure MacFarland mentioned.

Last season was a trying one for Manson, who appeared in just 27 regular-season games due to two lower-body injuries. It was his first full campaign in Colorado after inking a four-year, $18MM deal with trade protection when free agency opened in July 2022 after playing a crucial role in the team’s run to the 2022 Stanley Cup. Coming over from the Anaheim Ducks at the trade deadline, Manson notched eight points in 20 playoff games, adding a +6 rating. Even when in the lineup last season, it wasn’t a smooth start to Manson’s hefty new deal – most commonly paired with Bowen Byram, the pair controlled just 40% of expected goals when on the ice together, per MoneyPuck, a figure Byram far exceeded with his other partners. With mainstay Erik Johnson moving on for the Buffalo Sabres in free agency this summer, the Avs will need a rejuvenated and healthy Manson to play a key role as their second-best right-shot defender behind Cale Makar.

Elsewhere in the realm of injury news tonight:

  • Reports earlier in the week surfaced that Colorado was looking to add a goaltender with backup Pavel Francouz’s health uncertain. Today, MacFarland also confirmed that Francouz is not yet cleared to return after undergoing offseason adductor surgery and remains “banged up” without a timeline to return. He did note, however, that Francouz has returned to Denver and Avalanche team doctors will evaluate him next week. While often injured, Francouz has given the Avs solid play when cleared to occupy the crease, going 8-7-1 with a .915 save percentage last season in 16 starts.
  • Unfortunately, top Los Angeles Kings defense prospect Brandt Clarke won’t get to join the team on their preseason excursion to the 2023 NHL Global Series in Melbourne, Australia, next weekend. That’s because he’s sustained an undisclosed injury which requires seven to ten days without contact, per Mayor’s Manor. Clarke, who looks to make the Kings out of camp after a nine-game trial last season, will continue skating in LA and rehabbing his injury while the travel squad, presumably made up of the team’s expected NHL roster, is away. The eighth overall pick in 2021 was named to the OHL’s and CHL’s First All-Star teams in 2022-23 after recording 61 points in 31 games after his mid-season return to junior hockey with the OHL’s Barrie Colts. The 20-year-old right-shot defender projects to begin the season in a third-pairing role behind Drew Doughty and Matt Roy.
  • Philadelphia Flyers forward prospect Jon-Randall Avon sustained a PCL sprain in his left knee just before rookie camps got underway, per PHLY Sports’ Charlie O’Connor. The 20-year-old center will miss between four and six weeks, keeping him out of the remainder of Flyers rookie and training camp. A free agent signing in 2021 after going undrafted, Avon recorded 60 points in 59 games with the OHL’s Peterborough Petes last season and will likely make his pro debut with the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms this season when healthy.

Avalanche Issue Several Injury Updates

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Colorado was dealt a serious blow for next season earlier today when it was announced that captain Gabriel Landeskog would miss all of 2023-24 and will be undergoing a cartilage transplant in his surgically-repaired knee.  Speaking with reporters today (video link), GM Chris MacFarland issued several other injury updates.

  • Winger Andrew Cogliano, who suffered a fractured neck in their opening-round loss to Seattle, is not expected to need surgery. The veteran, who also was dealing with an AC sprain, is expected to have a recovery timeline of six-to-eight weeks, meaning he should be fully recovered before reaching unrestricted free agency in July.  The 35-year-old potted ten goals and nine assists in 79 games for the Avs this season.
  • Winger Artturi Lehkonen, who recovered from a broken finger in time for the playoffs, sustained a broken toe during the series against the Kraken. The 27-year-old was able to play through the injury and finished fourth in scoring in the series with three goals and three assists.  Lehkonen, who had a career year during the season with 20 goals and 31 assists, will not suit up at the upcoming World Championship due to the injury.
  • Goaltender Pavel Francouz has undergone surgery to repair an adductor injury but is expected to be fully ready for training camp in the fall. The 32-year-old dealt with lower-body trouble during the season which limited him to just 16 games where he posted a 2.61 GAA and a .915 SV%.
  • Defenseman Josh Manson had a procedure done last week after being sidelined with a lower-body injury of his own during the series. He, too, is expected to be ready in time for training camp.  Manson had an injury-riddled first full campaign with the Avalanche and was limited to just 27 games during the regular season before missing the final two playoff contests.

Artturi Lehkonen Leaves Game With Upper-Body Injury

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The Colorado Avalanche have announced that Artturi Lehkonen will not return to tonight’s game against the Montreal Canadiens after leaving with an apparent upper-body injury.

It was quite an eventful night for Lehkonen who was playing in his first game back in Montreal since being traded to Colorado in March of 2022. Lehkonen received a video tribute and a standing ovation from the Montreal crowd, then followed it up by adding two goals and an assist in less than two periods of play. The injury puts a damper on what was an incredible return to Montreal for the former second round pick.

Lehkonen has been red hot as of late with seven points in his past five games. He’s been everything Colorado could have hoped for when they dealt a second-round pick and Justin Barron to Montreal for him just under a year ago. Lehkonen has flourished this season with a career high 49 points in 62 games. This after scoring 14 points in 20 games last postseason in Colorado’s magical run to the Stanley Cup.

Should Lehkonen miss any time it will be a big blow for an Avalanche team that has dealt with a multitude of injuries throughout this season. Colorado is already missing Josh Manson, Gabriel Landeskog, Darren Helm, Erik Johnson, and goaltender Pavel Francouz. Despite the injuries, Colorado has maintained stellar team defense this season as they rank seventh in the league in goals against. The Avalanche currently hold the final wild card spot in the west, but they have struggled as of late having dropped four of their last six games coming into tonight.

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