The Colorado Avalanche announced on Sunday that goaltender Pavel Francouz will not return this season from the groin injury that has plagued him since 2022.
A beloved figure in Denver because of his capable play in relief of Darcy Kuemper during Colorado’s 2022 Stanley Cup triumph, the Czech netminder’s recurring lower-body injuries have limited him to just 35 regular-season NHL appearances since the conclusion of the 2019-20 campaign.
Francouz will leave the team to spend time with his family in the Czech Republic, and, as a 33-year-old on an expiring deal, he has likely played for the Avs for the last time.
News that Francouz’s IR stint, which stems from an offseason corrective surgery, will last the season is the latest in a laundry list of injury woes for the Avalanche, who have struggled to stay fit since hoisting the Cup.
Captain Gabriel Landeskog is out for the season with a knee issue that could prove career-threatening, while top-six forward Artturi Lehkonen is out week-to-week after Seattle defenseman Jamie Oleksiak ran him into the boards last Thursday.
Without Francouz, Russian netminder Alexandar Georgiev will continue to play high-volume minutes for coach Jared Bednar. The former Ranger excelled last season over a career-high 62 starts but has struggled early on in 2023-24; Georgiev has stopped just .887% of pucks and shipped 14 combined goals in his last three starts.
Rookie Ivan Provsvetov will continue to serve as Gerogiev’s backup in Francouz’s indefinite absence for the 8-5 Avalanche.
Colorado will be back in action Monday when it heads to Seattle in what should be an emotionally charged rematch with the Kraken, given Oleksiak’s nasty hit on Lehkonen and the teams’ seven-game playoff clash last spring.
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