The Colorado Avalanche are examining options on the goaltending market with incumbent backup Pavel Francouz still recovering from offseason adductor surgery, Daily Faceoff‘s Frank Seravalli reported Thursday afternoon.
Francouz, 33, posted an 8–7–1 record and a .915 save percentage in 16 appearances with the Avalanche during the 2022–23 regular season. He’s under contract for 2023–24 at a $2 million cap hit.
After missing all of 2020–21 due to injury, Francouz returned to the Avalanche in 2021–22 and split time with Darcy Kuemper in the regular season and playoffs as the Avs captured their third Stanley Cup championship.
Francouz is a rarity among high-level goaltenders in that he wears his catching glove on his right hand. Only seven right-catching goaltenders (Karel Vejmelka, Logan Thompson, Charlie Lindgren, Cal Petersen, Michael Hutchinson, Yaroslav Askarov and Francouz) suited up in the NHL last season.
The Avalanche have very little cap space to play with as the start of the 2023–24 season looms. According to CapFriendly, the Avs are projected to begin the season with $525,000 in LTIR space, although they might be able to add more by putting Francouz on the shelf.
As Seravalli noted, the Avalanche appear to be looking externally for a suitable goaltender to serve as Alexandar Georgiev’s backup in 2023–24. One obvious candidate is Casey DeSmith, who will make $1.8 million this season before becoming a UFA. After being acquired by the Canadiens in the Erik Karlsson deal earlier this summer, DeSmith has become part of a three-headed goaltending monster in Montreal.
The Avalanche are still firmly in their contention window, having won the Stanley Cup already just over a year ago with a very similar roster to the one they have now. They won the Central Division in 2022–23 before being upset by the Seattle Kraken in the first round of the playoffs. They’ll be extra motivated to rebound in the coming campaign.
Georgiev proved himself capable of handling a significant load last season, going 40–16–6 with five shutouts and a .919 save percentage in 62 games over his debut campaign in Colorado. He also started all seven of the Avs’ playoff contests. Georgiev is under contract through 2025 at a $3.4 million cap hit.
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