Colorado Avalanche: Philipp Grubauer is All Set for Goalie Duel

The newest Colorado Avalanche goalie, Philipp Grubauer, is ready to compete for the number-one goalie spot. Competition is fierce, though.

The Colorado Avalanche have two number-one goalies, according to GM Joe Sakic. I suppose, potentially, each goalie could play 41 games, 21 at home and 21 on the road.

However, it seems that’s never the way it shakes out with teams. There can be a solid goaltending tandem, but there’s usually a lead goalie.

As of right now, I’d say it’s Semyon Varlamov‘s job to lose. But there’s no question Philipp Grubauer wants the job.

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Not surprisingly, the media wanted to speak with Philipp Grubauer, whom the Avalanche acquired in a trade from the Washington Capitals and whom they immediately signed to a three-year deal.

During his Media Day presser, Grubauer was still getting used to being on a new team. He kept referring to the Caps as “us” and “we” and the Avs as “they” and “them.” He’s only been in Denver for about a week now, though, and hasn’t gotten a chance to get to know his teammates too in-depth just yet.

He does have some memories already of Pepsi Center: “I watched them kick our ass a little bit last year.”

Later he admitted that he had been the one to play in Pepsi Center when the Washington Capitals came to town. When reminded of the score — 6-2 — he further laughed and joked, “Thanks for reminding me.” In fact, his new captain, Gabriel Landeskog, got his first NHL hat trick in that game.

He acknowledges that he’s “stoked” to be here though.

While Philipp Grubauer didn’t directly have any say in where he was traded, it’s highly likely the Capitals attempted to make a trade they knew would be good for a goalie they had as an impending restricted free agent.

After all, they only wanted a draft pick in return — and someone to take on Brooks Orpik‘s salary. Colorado happily coughed up both, which was no big deal since the pick was Ottawa’s and even with Orpik on the books, they’re still #28 in the NHL in approaching the cap ceiling.

When asked why he wanted to come to Colorado, Grubauer laughed about not being a UFA. However, like I said, he probably did have some say. Indeed, he remarked:

“The team is really young, and that’ makes it really exciting for everybody.”

So, Philipp Grubauer is here. He remarked that he didn’t approach his training any differently this summer than other summers because the goal is always to play the most games needed. Last season he played 35 games for the Capitals, 28 of them starts. His record was 15-10-3 in that time.

When asked if there were a set number of games he’d like to play minimum, he laughed and replied, “Well, it’s up to the coach, but I want to play every one.”

Well, no goalie plays every game. Last season, Varlamov played 51 while Jonathan Bernier got 37. Concerning what his intentions are at this point in his career, Grubauer stated:

“From leaving Washington, I wanted to take the next step. I think I showed a little bit in Washington that I can play more than 10 games in a season. That’s the next step for me — taking over at number-one.”

Shots fired.

The Colorado Avalanche training camp starts today. (Read about the schedule and the roster.) Guess what — the goalie duel also starts today.