Goalie situation is thin for Avalanche

  

With the departure of Arvid Holm to Sweden and the departure of Ivan Prosvetov, possibly to Russia, things are looking thin for the Colorado Avalanche goaltender depth. As of today, between the Avalanche and the Colorado Eagles, there are only four goaltenders signed. Three of which are signed to NHL contracts and could easily move between teams. I will go over the goaltender depth that is currently signed in the organization and discuss an option or two that could come to Loveland.

Alexandar Georgiev

Alexandar Georgiev will enter the final year of his three-year contract with the Avalanche this coming season. He saw a career high 63 regular season games and 11 playoff games. During this time, Georgiev would put together a 38–18–5 record in the regular season, his second best season to date. This last season would see his lowest save percentage (.897) of his young career in the NHL, with a debate that fatigue or the defense was the issue. His numbers are comparable to when he was with the New York Rangers, as Georgiev has played four more games with Rangers (129). Unless something goes wrong, Georgiev will carry another heavy workload next season.

Justus Annunen

Justus Annunen is the first homegrown goaltender for the Avalanche since Adam Werner (drafted 2016 and played two games in 2019). With the injury to Pavel Franzouz, Annunen unexpectedly spent most of the year as a backup in Denver. Annunen played a career high 14 games for the Avalanche and had two shutouts. He impressed management so much that he earned a one-way contract in March. He would even win the hearts of fans as he made spectacular saves and the chant of “JUICE” would live on. Annunen will probably get 15–20 starts next season.

Trent Miner

Trent Miner is working on becoming the next homegrown goaltender after Annunen. Drafted in 2019, a year after Annunen, Miner has been waiting for an opportunity to jump to the Eagles and the AHL. Annunen, going down to injury for six weeks, gave the chance, along with a poor showing by Holm. Miner won the crease in Loveland, along with a new contract. He kept the Eagles in games as his confidence grew with coaching from former Avalanche Peter Budaj. Miner saw career highs in every category with the Eagles and as things look toward the future, he will be the starter in Loveland next season.

Jake Barczewski

Jake Barczewski is a goaltender that is on an AHL contract for the Eagles, but is currently Colorado’s fourth option. Barczewski most recently led the University of Michigan to the Frozen Four but fell to Boston College. As the starter for the Wolverines, Barczewski would hold a 20–14–3 record and 2.84 goals allowed average. He made his professional debut on April 20, 2024 against the Ontario Reign and get rattled in a 7–3 loss. If the Avalanche cannot sign a backup for Miner, he will be the only option, otherwise Barczewski will head to Utah as the starter.

Options

Matt Villalta

A goaltender that has been at the top of the ranks in the AHL the past couple of seasons, Matt Villalta is due to be a Group 6 unrestricted free agent this summer. He most recently played for the Tucson Roadrunners and made his well deserved NHL debut with Arizona Coyotes. This last season, Villalta would be part of the reason the Roadrunners jumped five positions in one season. Villalta would finish first in the AHL with 31 wins and a .911 save percentage. The Avalanche could sign him for under one million and have a great one-two punch in Loveland. Furthermore, he is used to a heavy workload and could be a backup in Denver if need be.

Oscar Dansk

Oscar Dansk was a thorn in the side of the Eagles this year as he had a .97 goals allowed average in three games. He is an agile goaltender that is quick to the post and has a ton of experience in the AHL. When Jacob Markstrom got injured and Dustin Wolf was sent to the Flames, the Calgary Wranglers gave Dansk significant starting time. He would be an excellent pickup by Colorado to have as a fourth option and would cost less than one million.

Conclusion

Villalta and Dansk are just a couple of suggestions that the Avalanche could get on the cheap this offseason. Either way, Colorado has a goaltender depth problem, and it needs to be solved quickly. If Georgiev or Annunen were to go down to injury, the domino effect would be problematic. This was clear at the end of the season when Annunen fell ill and the team had to recall Prosvetov. When Miner got injured with a lower-body injury, the Eagles had to rely on Arvid Holm for a back-to-back game. Holm had not played in over a month. A cheap fourth option and even a fifth option would solidify the depth and prevent issues in the future. As things are, they cannot go into the start of the season with their options this thin.

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