Sakic: Avalanche intend to keep Grubauer, Francouz in goal next season

Colorado Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic is comfortable sticking with the incumbent goaltending duo of Philipp Grubauer and Pavel Francouz next season, according to Mike Chambers of The Denver Post.

"They both had good years. Unfortunately, they both got injured at the wrong time," Sakic said. "But neither of those injuries you have to worry about. Train hard in the summer and make sure it doesn't happen again. You can't predict injuries, but no, they both had good stretches and we expect that next year."

Both Grubauer and Francouz suffered injuries during Colorado's playoff run this summer, and their ailments played large roles in derailing the club's Stanley Cup aspirations. The Avalanche were eliminated by the Dallas Stars in Game 7 of their second-round series with third-string netminder Michael Hutchinson carrying the load in goal.

Grubauer was also injured for part of the regular season, giving Francouz a more prominent role than anticipated. Here's a look at their 2019-20 regular-season stats:

Grubauer, 28, is under contract for one more season at a cap hit of $3.33 million, while the 30-year-old Francouz is set to earn $2 million annually until 2022.

Though the Avalanche have a reliable and cost-efficient tandem between the pipes, this offseason will feature one of the deepest free-agent goaltender pools in recent memory, and Colorado has a whopping $22 million in projected cap space, according to CapFriendly. Sakic and Co. could theoretically go shopping for a new goalie to strengthen the club's roster even further, but the front office currently seems satisfied with the status quo.

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