Colorado Avalanche goaltender Pavel Francouz suffered an injury that will keep him out of action for three to four weeks. This lower-body injury was not reported to be related to his past hip injuries.
Pavel Francouz will be out approximately 3-4 weeks with a lower-body injury. pic.twitter.com/hHbNX8RNb7
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) October 7, 2021
Pavel Francouz Injury Keeps Him Out For 3-4 Weeks
Francouz spent a lot of time playing last season, splitting games nearly evenly with Phillipp Grubauer, who is now playing for the Seattle Kraken. Over 34 games played, Francouz won 21, lost seven, and had four overtime losses. He had a save percentage of .923, with a goals against average of 2.41. He saved an impressive 13.1 goals above average, and had an over 50% quality start rate. In his short 2 year career, he’s played 36 games, with a total record of 21-9-4. His total save percentage lies at .923, and a GAA of 2.40.
How the Avalanche Adjust
Having Francouz miss 3-4 weeks is not the end of the Avalanche’s season right now. He would be backing up star goalie Darcy Kuemper anyway. But, as the season gets into full swing, having two strong goalies will win the Avalanche many games. With Pavel Francouz’s injury, Jonas Johansson will assume the duties as the backup goaltender. He hasn’t seen much NHL ice time, but the games he’s started haven’t been too shabby. That’s exactly what the Avalanche need until Francouz is healthy.
Kuemper cannot handle starting four weeks straight, so Johansson will have to step in on back-to-back games. But once Francouz comes back, the Avalanche will have a scary duo in net. This season will be different for Francouz, as he will likely be relegated to a backup role instead of splitting half and half. But as the season goes on and Kuemper gets more tired, we could start seeing more of Francouz taking the crease for the opening puck drop. Whichever goalie starts for Colorado will give their team a good chance at winning.
Main Photo: Embed from Getty Images
