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The Colorado Avalanche have put pen to paper on a one-year extension with their third-string goaltender, Pavel Francouz, who had a dominant season with the AHL Colorado Eagles. The deal is for the 2019-20 season when Francouz will be 29.
Pavel Francouz's deal is a one-year, one-way contract worth $950K.
— AJ Haefele (@AJHaefele) May 24, 2019
In 49 AHL games, Francouz posted a .918 save percentage, which was tied for fifth in the league. In the NHL, Francouz took the loss in a pair of relief efforts against San Jose and Arizona, but played well when he was tested.
We have signed Pavel Francouz to a one-year contract.#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/mNlZfKsvYD
— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) May 24, 2019
Francouz is still in Slovakia, playing for the Czech Republic in the IIHF World Hockey Championships. He has a semi-final game against Canada tomorrow (Saturday) where he will likely serve as the backup to Czech league goalie Patrik Bartosak.
The contract is a one-way deal, meaning Francouz will make the same salary in the NHL as well as in the AHL (players on two-way deals tend to make a tenth of what they would when called up). This detail in the contract has nothing to do with waivers, as Francouz was always going to need to clear to be sent to the AHL. What this does for the Avalanche is give them two goaltenders under an NHL contract as of July 1st, which is required in the CBA.
Unless the contract is somehow something like the Mikko Koskinen deal, this is a solid investment in a #3 goalie who can be a #2 if need be.
Here are some highlights from his year: