5 moves the Colorado Avalanche should make this offseason
4. Find A Great Backup Goalie
Phillip Grubauer has done enough to prove he’s a part of the solution in net for the Colorado Avalanche. Heck, he’s probably their number one goalie. However, the Avalanche would be wise to pursue a strong backup goalie for him.
First of all, Colorado isn’t short on cap space. Grubauer’s dirt cheap, making just over $3 million a year for the next two seasons. The Avalanche could easily justify splurging a bit on a backup goalie, especially if he helps them keep Grubauer fresh and ready for the postseason.
Secondly, the NHL is starting to trend towards a goaltending tandem system. Look at the teams in the conference finals right now. The Boston Bruins have Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak. Sure, the former’s getting all the starts in the playoffs. However, Halak helped the Bruins out a lot by making 40 appearances and 37 starts.
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Meanwhile, the Carolina Hurricanes have Petr Mrazek and Curtis McElhinney. They signed the former in free agency to a $1.5 million deal and got the latter off waivers. The duo pretty much split starts during the regular season.
There are a number of options out there for free agent goaltenders. Brian Elliott (assuming he’s healthy), Cam Talbot, Mrazek, McElhinney, and Anders Nilsson are among the options who could make sense. And of course, the Avalanche could always bring back Semyon Varlamov.