Avalanche sign goalie Pavel Francouz to two-year, $4M extension

Colorado entered the season with both of its goaltenders slated to hit unrestricted free agency in the summer. That’s no longer the case as the team announced that Pavel Francouz signed a two-year extension. Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the deal carries a $2M average annual value. 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, $4M 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 its 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 $4.5M (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. 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.