Report: Avs giving backup goalie Justus Annunen a new contract

Justus Annunen will be the Colorado Avalanche’s backup goalie for the next couple of seasons.

That’s according to a new report from ESPN’s Kevin Weekes, who says Colorado has locked Annunen into a two-year extension worth about $830,000 a year.

**Breaking News** 🚨 📰
I’m told the @Avalanche are signing G Annunen to a 2 Yr 1 Way Contract Extension that will carry around 833K AAV. #GoAvsGo #HockeyX #HockeyTwitter @INEOSGrenadier pic.twitter.com/ZsD41bRgUl

— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) March 26, 2024

Annunen hadn’t been the projected backup goalie for the Avs this season, but after Pavel Francouz was ruled out for the year and Ivan Prosvetov struggled, Annunen got the call up from the Colorado Eagles and has been quite good.

In fact, there was some chatter that Colorado would look to add a backup goalie at the NHL trade deadline, but declined to make a move.

In eight games with the Avs this season, Annunen has a 5-2-1 record and .926 save percentage. He’s given up just 2.38 goals per game headed into Tuesday night’s contest with Montreal.

For perspective, starter Alexandar Georgiev is giving up 2.82 goals per game and has a .903 save percentage. Yes, Georgiev has appeared in 56 games, but it still shows that Annunen has been more than solid. After all, Georgiev was an All-Star this year.

The plan will be for Georgiev to play most if not all of the team’s playoff games, but now the organization has expressed confidence in Justus Annunen if needed with this new deal. He won’t be looking over his shoulder, knowing he’s here to stay as the backup the rest of this season and moving forward.

The 46-20-5 Avs have 97 points, good for second in the Western Conference behind Vancouver with 98. The Rangers also have 98 in the Eastern Conference, as the battle for playoff positioning and the Presidents’ Trophy heats up.