The Avalanche could be in the market for a backup goalie, according to a report from Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. Pavel Francouz, the team’s current backup, has not entirely recovered from offseason adductor surgery, and the team is concerned he could miss some time.

Francouz, 33, has struggled with injuries over the past several years. When he’s in the lineup, he’s been one of the more effective backups in the league. But injuries have hampered his ability to be held in a higher regard. Francouz missed the entire 2020-21 season recovering from offseason surgery before getting injured in the preseason the following year. He ended up returning and effectively helping the Avs in the regular season and playoffs en route to a Stanley Cup.

In 2022-23, Francouz ran into some injury issues again and got in for just 16 games. He’s in the final year of a two-year deal.

I wrote a prediction piece about the Avs’ goalies, which you can find here, which focused heavily on the importance of Francouz being healthy this season. Starter Alexandar Georgiev was among the top three in starts last season, playing 62 of the team’s 82 regular-season games. It’s crucial for him to be better rested heading into the postseason this time around.

For Francouz, I predicted this would be his last season with the organization, largely because of his injuries.

One of the names the Avalanche could target is Montreal’s Casey DeSmith. The long-time Penguins backup is in the final year of a deal with a $1.8 million average annual value. He was part of the three-team trade last month that sent Erik Karlsson to Pittsburgh — though it’s been clear since that the Canadiens expect to trade him before the season begins.

The team could also target unrestricted free agent Jaroslav Halak. The veteran goalie started 24 games for the New York Rangers last year and finished 10-9-5 with a .903 save percentage.