Joe Sakic’s patience has paid off in the past, but the Avalanche general manager is playing with fire if he fails to upgrade the team’s goaltending depth in the immediate future.
Unproven rookie goalie Hunter Miska, the current backup to Philipp Grubauer, has the NHL’s worst save percentage (.838) and second-worst goals-against average (4.14) among those who have played at least five games. At this point, it’s clear the 25-year-old Miska is not an NHL-caliber goaltender. That doesn’t mean he won’t become one. It just means the Avs have poor depth at a position that requires two solid options — particularly this year in a condensed schedule.
Miska wouldn’t be judged so harshly if Grubauer wasn’t playing so well with the same team. Grubauer is second in the NHL in goals-against average (1.85) and sixth in save percentage (.925).
The disparity begs for Sakic to trade for a proven backup or get lucky on the waiver wire.
Grubauer is second in the NHL in wins (16), earning the last one Tuesday night in an 8-4 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. Miska started that game and allowed four goals on just seven shots (.429). He was replaced by Grubauer to begin the second period and the Avalanche became the first team since the Calgary Flames in 1988 to allow four goals in the first period and win by four goals.
Grubauer stopped all 15 shots he faced. Following the game, Avs coach Jared Bednar said this about Miska: “We’ll re-evaluate and next time we need a goalie other than Gruby to go in, we’ll try and select our best available option.”
What happens if Grubauer is injured in the upcoming two-game set against red-hot Minnesota, which plays the Avs on Thursday and Saturday at Ball Arena?
They would probably be doomed.
During Wednesday’s option practice, Bednar was again asked about Miska, whom he spoke to that morning.
“I wasn’t expecting miracles out of this guy,” Bednar said. “It’s not an ideal situation. I don’t know that he’s ready to be an NHL backup at this point, but he’s been a good option for us and I just want him to keep working and trying to get better. We’re not going to indict him on a couple bad games nor are we willing to sign him to a five-year deal if he had pitched a shutout. It’s just not the way we operate. It’s constant evaluation. I just want him to keep his head up, not worry about it, put that behind him, learn from it and get ready for his next start whenever that is.”
Bednar also said Wednesday there is no update on the lower-body injury to goalie Pavel Francouz, who began the year as Grubauer’s backup but has not played a single minute. Francouz is on long-term injured reserve and he’ll presumably still be unavailable up to the April 12 trade deadline.
The Avs could also deal with the backup goalie problem internally and give two other NHL rookies with little or no experience a chance. Peyton Jones, 25, is on the taxi squad and Adam Werner, 23, is the No. 1 guy with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles.
Jones has never played in the NHL and Werner has just two games under his belt. They aren’t the answer here.
Sakic has the answer. But he’s being his patient self in addressing the Avs’ only weakness.
Footnotes. Minnesota is on a five-game winning streak and Colorado has won four in a row. The Avs are 5-1-1 on their nine-game homestand … Avs defenseman Dan Renouf was placed on waivers Wednesday in a move that likely spells the return of rookie defenseman Bo Byram, whom Bednar previously said would be cleared for Thursday’s game. Byram, 19, has missed the last nine games with an upper-body injury. Renouf must clear waivers to be reassigned to the taxi squad or minors. … Defenseman Cale Makar, who has missed 10 consecutive games with an upper-body injury, is also on the cusp of returning along with forward J.T. Compher (upper-body, missed last six games).
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March 18, 2021 at 03:15AM
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Chambers: Avalanche goaltending concerns deepen with giant disparity between Philipp Grubauer, Hunter Miska - The Denver Post
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