3 Colorado Avalanche players who won’t be on the team next season
The Colorado Avalanche will look a little bit different next year. While they will still have their core intact with Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Mikko Rantanen, Devon Toews, etc., there are bound to be some departures.
Unfortunately, some players stay for a short period of time. Others have the opportunity to stay for quite a while. Either way, the end goal is the same for them all: to win a Stanley Cup.
Some player join other teams in a last ditch effort to get the Stanley Cup. That’s the case for our first player on the list of players who won’t be with the Colorado Avalanche in 2024-25.
Zach Parise
Zach Parise joined the Colorado Avalanche in the middle of the 2023-24 season and I will say that I was wrong about his potential impact with the team when news first broke of his signing. I thought that he would not fit in because of his age.
Thankfully, he proved me wrong. Although four goals and five assists for nine points in 23 games isn’t anything absolutely spectacular, he has still helped the Avalanche and will continue to help the Avalanche into the 2023-24 NHL postseason.
Over his career before joining the Avalanche, Parise played the Avs 51 times, scoring 19 goals and assisting on 27 goals, as well as six power play goals and two game-winning goals. He had a plus-minus of +14,
Playing for the Minnesota Wild for so long, it’s natural for Colorado Avalanche fans to dislike Parise while he was an enemy. It’s pretty neat that he chose to come to a former rival of his following recovery from injury. I know, maybe he didn’t get a strong offer, which makes sense given his age; maybe he wanted what he felt was the best chance to win a Stanley Cup.
Regardless of his reasons to join the Avalanche, Avs fans thank him for what he has done. This chapter isn’t over at this very moment—this sounds like a goodbye write-up—but once the Avalanche’s season comes to an end, so will Parise’s career. It would have been cool if Parise joined the Avalanche several years ago—he would have won a cup already.
If he and the Avalanche win it all this year, he can add that to his incredible career.
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Pavel Francouz
Pavel Francouz has been greatly appreciated during his time with the Colorado Avalanche. An undrafted free agent pickup, Francouz is mostly appreciated for his contributions in helping the Avs during the 2021-22 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
In those playoffs, starter Darcy Kuemper had to miss time due to an eye injury and Francouz held things down during his absence. The Avalanche swept the Nashville Predators during the series, with Francouz winning the last two games. Without Francouz stepping in, who knows what would have happened. The Colorado Avalanche may not have proceeded in the playoffs if Kuemper decided to try and continue playing through the eye injury.
Unfortunately, Francouz suffered a groin injury in May of 2023 and hasn’t played since. Fairly recently, it came into focus that Francouz was “doing well in retirement.” Those words from general manager Chris MacFarland. Though MacFarland said he uses the term “retirement” loosely, the fact that he even suggested it makes me think there are two options with Francouz going forward:
1.) Francouz is actually retired and will never play hockey again thanks to the injury. This idea is absolutely heartbreaking. We should all hope for ever player to be able to go out on their own terms. Getting sent out due to an injury is just a crushing blow to anyone, especially a guy who was very impactful during his time in Colorado.
2.) Even if Francouz makes a miraculous recovery from the groin injury and finds his way back onto NHL ice, it might not be for the Colorado Avalanche. Francouz’s contract runs out at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season, and with his status sort of unknown definitively, there’s no doubt in my mind that the team is going to straight up move on and not re-sign him. Sadly, that’s just part of the business side of sports.
What ever Francouz’s next path is, Colorado Avalanche fans thank him for all that he did for us.
Jack Johnson
Similar to Parise, unfortunately age catches up to everyone. Though a cheap option on the defensive side, Jack Johnson is 37 years old with his contract expiring at the end of the 2023-24 NHL season. I believe that his time with the Colorado Avalanche is going to come to an end.
Johnson signed a contract with the Chicago Blackhawks in August of 2022, after winning the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche. He was then traded back to the Avalanche in February of 2023. He was absolutely welcomed back with open arms.
Johnson was the third overall pick in the 2005 NHL draft by the Carolina Hurricanes. As many NHL players, Johnson never played for the team that drafted him. He went on to play for the Los Angeles Kings, Columbus Blue Jackets, Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers before his tenure with the Avalanche (and then the Blackhawks).
The Avalanche have a player or two waiting in the wings to take over for Johnson.
Throughout his career, he played in 1,180 games, scoring 77 goals and 258 assists. He has done very well with the Avalanche and I feel like he fit in tremendously.
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