Avalanche Waive Backup Goalie, Open Door for Top Prospect

The shuffling in net for the Colorado Avalanche may be just beginning.

On Saturday, the Avalanche placed goaltender Ivan Prosvetov on waivers. The 24-year-old has played in just 11 games since being picked up from the Arizona Coyotes prior to the start of the season, eight of which were starts. He started strong, but his last game was a bit of a disaster, as he was pulled after giving up four goals on just 13 shots. Prosvetov was on the ice with his teammates this morning during a Captain’s Skate. He currently holds a .895 save percentage with the Avalanche.

Prosvetov is a fantastic guy to speak to, but it’s clear the staff doesn’t have a ton of faith in him currently, and they need to find a solution behind Alexandar Georgiev. Losing him on waivers would be difficult, though. The Avalanche still could use a guy like him in the organization, as goaltending depth is still a question mark.

According to Elliotte Friedman, one reason for this move is so the Avalanche can get a good look at Justus Annunen. The young Finnish netminder had a strong camp but has only started in one game in the NHL this season, which he won. He stopped 36 of 40 shots last month against the Ottawa Senators.

Annunen is 14-5-4 with the Colorado Eagles this season, posting a .908 save percentage.

While Annunen will get a look on the upcoming road trip, Colorado is still very much in the market for another goaltender. Chris MacFarland has not made that a secret. At this point, they need to see if they have an internal option that can help out, and that means giving Annunen a real shot. If Annunen performs well, maybe MacFarland pivots. However, one would have to imagine the organization wants more of a sure thing backing up Alexandar Georgiev, who leads the NHL in games played.

Colorado returns to practice officially on Sunday morning before traveling to New York, where I will be present. Stay tuned for more news as it comes in. I imagine Annunen plays one of the games to start this trip.