Avalanche netminder Pavel Francouz confirmed his retirement in an interview with CT 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 Plzen 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.
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