Just one day after acquiring him in a trade with the Washington Capitals, the Colorado Avalanche have signed goaltender Philipp Grubauer to a three-year contract extension. The deal is reportedly worth $10 million, or $3.33 million per season AAV.
Philipp Grubauer contract with @Avalanche is 3 years. Total will be around $10M #tvasports
— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) June 23, 2018
Philipp Grubauer Signs With the Colorado Avalanche
Prior to the trade, the German native had spent his entire six-year NHL career with the Washington Capitals. He was originally drafted by them in the fourth round, 112th overall of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. In return, he has played 101 career games for the team, starting in 79 of them. Giving the 26-year-old a career save percentage of .923 and a goals-against average of 2.29. He has a 43-31-11 record with six career shutouts.
Last season, Grubauer stepped up when Braden Holtby had an uncharacteristic slump and performed solidly. Playing a career high of 35 games, starting in 28 of them. This gave the backup goaltender a consistent .923 save percentage and a 2.06 goals-against average. Grubauer went 15-10-3 with three shutouts. This rivals many starting goalie statistics in the league.
What This Means for the Future.
Grubauer was a formidable force between the pipes for the Capitals last season. His strength and agility in the crease are rare. Although his inexperience became apparent during the playoffs, the 26-year-old was instrumental to the team’s success. It is hoped that the 6-foot-1 goaltender will be given more opportunity and responsibility this season. It is certainly well deserved and well earned.
It’s obvious that Grubauer is more than capable to be a starting goalie in his own right. With this trade and his new deal, it is hoped that he will have the opportunity to fight for a starting job with incumbent Avalanche starter Semyon Varlamov. Varlamov lost playing time to Jonathan Bernier last season. Bernier is not expected back and is a free agent on July 1st.
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