Colorado Avalanche: Rating the 3 Aspects of the Avs Roster

Semyon Varlomov is a beast in net.

When he is actually in net, that is.  It’s hard to imagine the constant cycle of good play-injury-rehab-getting back into shape-good play doesn’t take a toll on the 30 year-old.  When he’s right, which hasn’t been often, Varly is among the top goalies in the league.

Varlamov’s injury status put Colorado into scramble mode for goaltenders last year with Jonathan Bernier and Andrew Hammond picking up the slack, admirably.

With last year’s disarray and the Varly’s health history in mind, Joe Sakic made a move, acquiring Philipp Grubauer from the Washington Capitals.  Almost a co-number one goalie, Grubauer boasts a career 2.29 goals against and a .923 save percentage.  A shrewd move to provide a qualified backup to Varlamov and to protect against a dropoff should Semyon explore the Free Agent market after this season.

Colorado had done an adequate job of addressing issues from the previous few seasons.  Coach Jared Bednar enters his second full season with his roster and his system.  Good things are in store for this squad with the constant refrain of “if they can stay healthy” reverberating throughout the franchise.

It’s an exciting time as the Avalanche build themselves back into contenders.  It will be fun to be along for the ride!