The Colorado Avalanche have re-signed goaltender Pavel Francouz to a one-year contract, it was announced on Friday.
Francouz was signed by the Avalanche a season ago and spent a majority of the season as the Colorado Eagles starting goaltender in the American Hockey League. He posted a record of 27-17-3 with a 2.68 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage. In the playoffs, the 28-year-old was 1-3 in four appearances.
Francouz also made two appearances for the Avalanche in relief, stopping 33-of-35 shots in 62 minutes of action.
Prior to signing in North America, Francouz was a staple among the top KHL goaltenders in Russia. He spent three seasons playing for Traktor Chelyabinsk, the last of which was in 2017-18 where he was 15-11-5, recording a 1.80 goals-against average and a .946 save percentage.
Francouz is expected to battle for the backup role in Denver in 2019-20. The Avalanche’s starting goaltender Philipp Grubauer is under contract for another two years, while longtime Avs goalie Semyon Varlamov is expected to walk in free agency.
