Avs goalie Justus Annunen could earn surprise roster spot

Aside from captain Gabriel Landeskog’s season-long absence because of a knee injury, the second-most important player on the Colorado Avalanche roster who might not be ready for the start of the season is backup goaltender Pavel Francouz.

He has yet to skate with the team during training camp, and Friday his coach said there was no timeline for Francouz’s return. That makes 23-year-old Justus Annunen, with four games of NHL experience on his resume, the next man up.

“It is how it works. Somebody gets hurt and some other guy gets a chance,” Annunen said. “It’s unfortunate for Frankie, but I have a chance right now and I have to do my best. I’m trying to make the most of it. Just trying to do my best every day and fight for my spot.”

The salary-cap conscious Avs did not add a veteran third goalie during the offseason. Alexandar Georgiev is entrenched as the starter, and with Francouz absent there are four other goalies in camp. Annunen is the only one that has appeared in an NHL game.

A Kempele, Finland, native, Annunen has appeared twice for the Avs in each of the past two seasons. His main gig has been the No. 1 post for the Colorado Eagles in the American Hockey League.

Annunen made clear improvements from year one to two with the Eagles. His save percentage went up from .893 to .916, while his goals against average decreased from 3.01 to 2.55.

Reading the play in front of him and further adjusting to the style of play in North America were the two biggest reasons he listed for the better numbers.

“The game is faster. Things happen so much faster,” Annunen said. “There’s not much time to think and relax. Guys are coming at the net, always throwing pucks at the net.

“I know I am being watched every day. I just need to do my best and try to get better every day.”

Annunen was a third-round draft pick in 2018. He’s the only goalie the Avs have selected in the top three rounds in the past 10 years.

If Francouz isn’t ready for opening night, Annunen’s top internal competition is likely to be Arvid Holm, who spent the past two seasons with Manitoba in the AHL. Bednar admitted he doesn’t know a lot about Holm, but if everyone is healthy it’d be safe to assume an Annunen-Holm tandem with the Eagles.

Annunen’s biggest roadblock to a spot on a Francouz-less roster could very well be a small group of more established goalies who are currently unsigned, plus an inevitable group of netminders who hit the waiver wire as other clubs make their cuts.

There are five unsigned goalies who saw NHL action last season, including two former Avs (Brian Elliott and Michael Hutchinson). Plenty of teams have three goalies that might be NHL caliber, but most clubs will only carry two so there are usually intriguing stopgap options available in the days before opening night.

It’s up to Annunen to prove Colorado doesn’t need one of them.

“Stop the puck, simple. That’s the job,” Jared Bednar said. “He’s got to win us hockey games, keep us in hockey games. I don’t break down too many of the goalie details. That’s Juusi (Parkilla)’s job. That’s a position where it’s really no different than any other one, but more importantly it is about results.”

The Avs are in a different place with their goaltending this year. Georgiev was a breakout star last season, appearing in a career-high 62 games. He can be a security blanket early in the season, but the club also doesn’t want to overwork him in October/November with an eye towards playing into June.

“Obviously Frankie had some injury troubles, which sucks,” Avs defenseman Bowen Byram said. “That’s unfortunate. You never want to see a guy get hurt, but Justus has looked really good this camp. He’s a great guy and everyone loves having him around. It’s a good opportunity for him to step up and get his chance, so we’re all excited for him.”

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