Report: Avs looking at goalie options amid Francouz health concerns

The Colorado Avalanche are looking at goaltending options amid concerns over Pavel Francouz's availability to begin the season, Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli reports.

Francouz underwent adductor surgery in the offseason after starting just 16 games with the Avalanche last year. The 33-year-old posted an 8-7-1 record with a .915 save percentage in that span.

The Avalanche have four other netminders under contract - starter Alexandar Georgiev, plus prospects Justus Annunen, Arvid Holm, and Trent Miner.

Should Francouz miss time, only one of Colorado's backup options - Annunen - has NHL experience. The 23-year-old has played four games with the Avalanche over two seasons with a .859 SV%.

Jaroslav Halak, Brian Elliott, and Michael Hutchinson are the only goaltenders who remain free agents and played notable minutes in the NHL last season.

Halak, 38, backed up Igor Shesterkin with the New York Rangers in 2022-23. He had a 10-9-1 record in 25 appearances with a .903 SV%.

Elliott, also 38, was Andrei Vasilevskiy's No. 2 for the Tampa Bay Lightning over the past two seasons. Last year, Elliott started 22 games and had a .891 SV%. The 16-year veteran played part of the 2010-11 campaign with Colorado.

Hutchinson, 33, returned to NHL action after he was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets prior to the trade deadline last year. He played 16 contests with the Blue Jackets, going 2-6-3 with a .875 SV%. Hutchinson notably played four games with the Avalanche in the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs against the Dallas Stars.

Colorado has $525,000 of cap space with Gabriel Landeskog's $7-million cap hit on long-term injured reserve, according to CapFriendly. The Avalanche would gain an extra $2 million of room if Francouz is out long enough to be placed on LTIR.