Should you assume Semyon Varlamov will stay nutritious — and that’s really been a terrible premise for the previous three years — the Avalanche appears to have enough goaltending thickness. There’so called Varlamov and newly signed free agent Phillip Grubauer — the 2018 Stanley Cup winner from the Washington Capitals — using the Avs. And now then there s three other men looking to inhabit the two places with the Colorado Eagles of the American Hockey League and one using the Utah Grizzlies of the ECHL.
The minor-league contenders using all big-league fantasies: Spencer Martin, the Avs’ 2013 draft choice; Joe Cannata, who helped the Eagles win their second right ECHL tournament last spring before the franchise moved to the AHL; along with Pavel Francouz, the Czech Republic-born free-agent acquisition in the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia.
Varlamov was backed up by Martin in Tuesday’s preseason opener against the visiting Vegas Golden Knights. Varlamov stopped 21-of-24 shots and Martin played making just four saves.
Because he playedlet’s concentrate on Martin — the fifth largest goalie chosen at the 2013 draft (next round, 63rd overall).
“I felt good. It’s exciting to play, and entertaining,” Martin said after the 5-1 loss in the Pepsi Center. “Being a part of everyone’s game is cool, and picking up where we finished last year. But that’s no result some other man in this area or myself can take. ”
Martin had a relatively weak 3.10 goals-against average and .893 save percentage last season with the AHL’so called San Antonio Rampage, the group Colorado shared with the St. Louis Blues’ top prospects. Martin was below a .900 save percentage through his three matches with the Avs in 2016-17, when he played 50 matches (.903 SP) using the Rampage.
Martin, 23, signed up a modest, one-year, two-way deal worth a potential $650,000 on the summertime as a restricted free agent. The question is, along with 85,000 will be made by him in the minors, will he be the man for the Eagles in Loveland or the Grizzlies in Salt Lake City? The question: Did the Avs exchange for Grubauer since they’ve given up on Martin?
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“I believe the consistency in his sport must develop,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said of Martin. “Goalies take more time to develop. Can it be a make or break year? No. We like our goaltending thickness and he s definitely part of this. Together with the 2 men up high (Varlamov, Grubauer) and then Frankie (Francouz) along with him — that he ’ll have to earn his time in the net (using the Eagles). Looking for him maintain taking a step forward in his or her development and to become consistently better and emotionally harder. ”
Martin doesn’t feel as he’s thin ice with all an Avalanche, also based on his peers by the 2013 draft course, he shouldn’t. Among the first five goalies in this draft, Martin is just one of three to’ve made his NHL debut, and only one — Pittsburgh’s Tristan Jarry — has played with more than five matches in the league.
No, Martin doesn’t believe as the Avs have run out of patience .
“The pressure? It’s different. I believe I would have told you last year or even the year before that I put pressure on myself to succeed,” ” Martin said. “But I’m prepared. I do look at this as I need to break . ”