Avalanche general manager
Joe Sakic wants to acquire a goaltender for depth before the NHL trading deadline Monday in the wake of
Philipp Grubauer’s lower-body injury.
“We’re going to pursue, see if we can add a depth goalie for us,” he said. “We’ll see where that goes. We’ve had injuries in that department, not only here but with the (AHL) Eagles, so ultimately we’d like to see if we can add a depth goalie just for protection.”
Pavel Francouz will start his third straight game Friday at Anaheim, and coach
Jared Bednar said Wednesday night there is an excellent chance he also will play Saturday at Los Angeles.
Hunter Miska, who was recalled from the Eagles on Sunday, has one period of NHL experience, with the Arizona Coyotes on Nov. 13, 2018.
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Sakic spoke to a small media group before the Avalanche defeated the New York Islanders 3-1, ruining goalie
Semyon Varlamov’s homecoming.
Here’s my
NHL.com GAME STORY
Varlamov spent eight seasons with Colorado before signing a four-year, $20 million contract with the Islanders and ranks second to
Patrick Roy in franchise history for games played among goalies (389), wins (183) and shutouts (21).
Forward
Derick Brassard also returned after signing with the Islanders, but he left the game at 14:50 of the first period after being hit in the face by a shot from
Ryan Pulock and didn’t return. Coach
Barry Trotz didn't have an update after the game.
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“We’ve had plans for a month now,” Sakic said. “We know the guys we think would be a good fit to our team. If it works out, great. There’s obviously things we’re not willing to move, but if there’s a deal that makes sense for us we’d like to do it.”
Sakic won’t trade top prospects such as
Bo Byram, Martin Kaut, Alex Newhook or
Conor Timmins, and he said the Avalanche’s injured players -- Grubauer, and forwards
Mikko Rantanen, Nazem Kadri, Matt Calvert and (possibly)
Colin Wilson – will return by the end of the season.
“We weathered the storm early in the year when we had a lot of injuries and I have all the confidence we’ll do it again,” Sakic said. “They don’t have any impact on what we’re trying to do.”
Sakic said he is looking to make “hockey trades,” and though he’d prefer not to trade his first-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, he wouldn’t rule it out.
“It all depends on what packages are out there,” he said. “To be honest with you, I prefer a hockey trade rather than going in the rental market. We’re going to be open to the rental market as well, but what’s the cost going to be? I’m not here just looking short term, I’m paid to look after the big picture.
“There’s hockey trades to be made, whether it’s right now or in the summer. As for rentals, there are some guys that we think would be a good fit. We added a lot of faces in the offseason and we like the depth we have. We love this group, we believe in this group, but if we can help it by adding the right pieces that we think are going to be a good fit, then we’ll certainly look to add it.
“A lot of things interest me. There’s no urgency from me. I know at the end of the day we’re going to get all our guys back. When we have a full lineup, I really like our team. We’re here to try and make ourselves better.”
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