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Colorado Avalanche: Top 9 Questions the Team Must Answer this Year

By Nadia Archuleta

DENVER, CO - APRIL 07: Patrik Nemeth #12, Mikko Rantanen #96, Tyson Jost #17 and J.T. Compher #37 of the Colorado Avalanche wave to the crowd after a win against the St. Louis Blues at the Pepsi Center on April, 7, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. The Avalanche defeated the Blues 5-2. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - APRIL 07: Patrik Nemeth #12, Mikko Rantanen #96, Tyson Jost #17 and J.T. Compher #37 of the Colorado Avalanche wave to the crowd after a win against the St. Louis Blues at the Pepsi Center on April, 7, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. The Avalanche defeated the Blues 5-2. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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DENVER, CO – MARCH 24: Goaltender Semyon Varlamov #1 of the Colorado Avalanche is introduced prior to the game against the Vegas Golden Knights at the Pepsi Center on March 24, 2018 in Denver, Colorado. The Avalanche defeated the Golden Knights 2-1 in overtime. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images) /

4. Who is the #1 Goalie?

Semyon Varlamov has been the Avalanche’s undisputed #1 for a while now. Pretenders to the crown have been dethroned. To be honest, the most legitimate contender recently was Jonathan Bernier. Had he stayed healthy, we might have had a real competition.

Well, we have a real competition this season. The Colorado Avalanche traded for then signed Philip Grubauer, formerly of the Washington Capitals. At the time if signing, Sakic stated outright that the Avs now have two #1 goalies. In GM-speak, that means game on for the #1 spot.

Who do I think it’s going to be this season? Semyon Varlamov. Varly knows this team, and the team knows him. He gets better the more shots he faces — and that’s practically a prerequisite for Avs goalies. What’s more, he thrives in the competitive atmosphere of being challenged for the starting spot.

And, it’s a contract season for him. After this year, he’s an unrestricted free agent. Players always play their best in career seasons.

I think somewhere later in the season we’re going to start seeing the passing of the torch. I don’t think Grubauer is going to earn next year’s starting spot. However, he’s going to have prove he’s Varlamov’s heir apparent. Because even though this is a contract year for Varly, I don’t think he’s earning that contract with the Avs. Not unless Grubauer fails to live up to expectations, then we might see a stop-gap contract while we desperately search for the real heir-apparent.

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