The Avalanche have a new backup goalie in
Jonathan Bernier, a new forward in
Colin Wilson and ...
Yes, they still have
Matt Duchene.
General manager
Joe Sakic didn't shed any light on Dutchy's situation during a very brief conference call Saturday.
"I don't have to say much about any rumors," Sakic said. "I don't create the rumors and I don't comment on them. So it doesn't really matter to me on rumors. You guys will know if we decide to make a move that we think improves our club both now and in the future ... you guys will be the first to know when that happens."
The Columbus Blue Jackets were getting most of the Duchene attention Saturday.
Taking into account the Avalanche presumably have been asking for a young, top-four defenseman as part of any trade package, I asked Sakic if he was still trying to upgrade the blue line.
"I'd love to upgrade the D, sure, if we could, but every team wants to upgrade their D and it's not as easy as you think," he said. "Really, you have to draft guys and bring them to your system. Always looking in that department. We went through the draft. This year we drafted some players, they're not ready yet, but it takes time building up your D corps."
So much for that.
Sakic did say "it shouldn't be too much longer" before the Avalanche announce the new assistant coaches to replace
Francois Allaire, Tim Army and
Dave Farrish.
Sakic had said the Avalanche weren't going to do anything "big" in the free agent market, and he kept to his word.
The Avalanche needed to find a backup for
Semyon Varlamov, as
Calvin Pickard was taken by Vegas in the expansion draft. They signed Bernier to a one-year, $2.75 million contract.
Bernier, 28, went 21-7-4 in 39 games for Anaheim last season with two shutouts, a 2.50 goals-against average and .915 save percentage. He went 12-1-2 in his last 15 starts.
Bernier, who is 6-feet and 184 pounds, played in four playoff games (one start) and went 1-2-0 with a 3.28 average and .873 save percentage.
"We knew we were looking for a backup goalie, someone with experience," Sakic said. "He had a really good record last year with a good Anaheim team. He's experienced, was a starter at one point. We think he can be a good 1-2 punch with Varly, so we're happy about that.
"He's a guy we thought was a good fit for us, especially with his experience. We know Varly had his (hip) surgery, he's going to be back a hundred percent, ready to go for training camp. We just wanted to make sure we had an experienced backup that can compete with Varly and be there for a good 1-2 punch.
"With Varly coming back, we don't want him playing much more than 50 games. Jonathan played almost 40 games last year for Anaheim, so we know he can do it."
Bernier, who is from Laval, Quebec, was Los Angeles' first-round pick (No. 11) in the 2006 NHL draft. He has a 109-95-27 career record in parts of nine NHL seasons -- five with the Kings, three with Toronto and one with the Ducks. He has 14 shutouts, a 2.65 goals-against average and .915 save percentage.
The Avalanche acquired Wilson, 27, from Nashville for a 2019 fourth-round pick.
The 6-1, 221-pound Wilson has spent his entire eight-season NHL career with the Predators, who made him their first-round pick (No. 7) in 2008.
Wilson had 35 points (12 goals, 23 assists) and 18 penalty minutes in 70 games last season, with four points (two goals, two assists) in 14 playoff games.
"All of our guys are extremely happy," Sakic said. "He can play left, center, right wing. He's another big body that plays the right way, two-way game, plays hard, goes to the net and scores for you.
"Just provides us with another powerful forward that will complement (
Gabriel Landeskog) and another guy like
A.J. Greer. We're pretty happy about adding that depth."
Wilson, who is from Greenwich, Conn., played two years at Boston University and helped the Terriers win the NCAA championship as a sophomore in 2009.
He has 237 points (95 goals, 142 assists) and 124 penalty minutes in 502 NHL games. He has 24 points (13 goals, 11 assists) in 47 playoff games.
The Avalanche also signed forward
Andrew Agozzino and defenseman
David Warsofsky to two-year contracts, and goalie
Joe Cannata to a one-year contract. All three are ticketed for the AHL San Antonio Rampage.
Agozzino, 26, had 54 points (18 goals, 36 assists) in 71 games last season with the AHL Chicago Wolves. He was in the Colorado organization from 2012-16.
Warsofsky, 27, had 47 points (16 goals, 31 assists) in 58 games with the AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. He had one assist in seven games with Pittsburgh.
Cannata, 27, spent most of last season with the AHL Hershey Bears before the Avalanche acquired him March 1. He went 11-5-3 in 22 games with Hershey, with a 3.22 goals against average and .876 save percentage. He played six games with the Rampage, going 2-3-0 with a 3.60 average and .872 save percentage.
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