Avalanche lose backup goalie Pavel Francouz for entire season

The Colorado Avalanche announced some bad news on Sunday night, as backup goalie Pavel Francouz is out for the entire season.

Francouz hadn’t played in any of the team’s 13 games, and it was clear he was going to be out for a bit. But this is a blow no matter how you slice it, as Francouz was a big part of the team’s Stanley Cup run in 2022.

Colorado Avalanche goaltender Pavel Francouz will miss the remainder of the 2023-24 season due to a lower-body injury. He will return to the Czech Republic with his family for rest of the year. pic.twitter.com/HoinjxUdEM

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) November 12, 2023

Because it’s hockey, we won’t get much information on what Francouz is battling, aside from the news above. It’s clear the “lower-body injury” is significant, and Francouz will head home to rehab it. His contract is up after this season, so it’s possible Francouz has played his last game with the Avs.

They’ll roll with starter Alexandar Georgiev the rest of the way, and likely Ivan Prosvetov as the backup. Prosvetov has appeared in four games, posting a 1-1-0 record and giving up 2.90 goals against on average.

After Avalanche starter Darcy Kuemper suffered a scary eye-injury during the 2022 postseason, Francouz was awesome. He went 6-0 when called into duty, and Colorado won its first title since 2001. “Frankie” became a fan favorite and was showered with love at the team’s championship parade.

The Avs sit at 8-5-0, but have been blown out in two of their last four games. A 6-0-0 start feels like a distant memory, and with Francouz done for the year, the bad news just keeps on coming.