Avalanche GM Joe Sakic wants to add a goalie before deadline

The Colorado Avalanche are poised to make a significant run through the postseason but still need to tinker ahead of Monday’s trade deadline due to increasing injuries.

During last Saturday’s 2020 Stadium Series game against the Los Angeles Kings, regular starting goaltender Philipp Grubauer was injured during an awkward collision with teammate Ian Cole. There is no timeline for Grubauer’s return but there is certainly concern heading into the final stretch of the regular season.

“We’re going to pursue and see if we can add a depth goalie,” Avalanche GM Joe Sakic told reporters.

“We’ll see where that goes but that is something. We’ve had injuries in that department, not only here but with the [Colorado Eagles of the AHL] as well so ultimately we’d like to see if we can add a depth goalie just for protection.”

Backup Pavel Francouz has earned his keep with a .923 save percentage and 2.44 goals against average through 24 appearances this season, but with the St. Louis Blues and Dallas Stars battling the Avalanche for playoff seeding position, the potential of missing Grubauer for a significant amount of time is worrisome for the GM.

As for what NHL-calibre goaltenders are truly available in the next few days, the market is fairly dry. The Chicago Blackhawks have reportedly been listening in on offers for Robin Lehner and the rumor saga of New York Rangers’ backup Alexandar Georgiev is still present — those are essentially your standard options for security between the pipes.

The Avalanche are also currently without forwards Nazem Kadri, Colin Wilson and Mikko Rantanen due to injuries, but there is no rush from the GM to get any other deals done.

“There’s no urgency from me,” Sakic said. “I know at the end of the day we’re going to get all our guys back and when we have a full lineup I really like our team, but we’re here to try to make ourselves better smartly.”

Whether Sakic makes a big splash in the goaltending market, or picks up a depth goalie via waivers, the Avalanche will surely miss Grubauer’s stability as the regular season wraps up.

Grubauer has a .916 save percentage and 2.63 goals against average through 36 starts this season.

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