Avs Practice Notebook: Colorado gets its back-up goalie; EJ and Francouz out for season

News broke shortly before the Avs optional practice in Anaheim that Colorado acquired goaltender Devan Dubnyk from San Jose in exchange for defenseman Greg Pateryn and a 5th-round pick this year.

It’s a move that is sure to be polarizing among the Avalanche fanbase, after his many years as the goaltender of the rival Minnesota Wild and his pesky, get-under-your-skin antics, most notorious is this little exchange back in 2016:

“I think that just goes to show his competitiveness,” a smiling Avs captain Gabe Landeskog said of his scrum with Dubnyk in 2016. “I don’t remember what exactly happened…but I met him at the All-Star Game a few years ago and we were able to bury the hatchet and have a laugh about it.”

Indeed, the team is aware of the disdain toward Dubnyk, but now that he’s wearing the right colors, the hope is the Avalanche community will learn to appreciate his competitiveness and embrace their new back-up netminder.