The Colorado Avalanche went into this season with what I thought was a big question mark in goal tending — Pavel Francouz as the primary backup. Francouz had been a wizard both in the KHL and his native Czech Republic. He also did very well with the Colorado Eagles last season.
However, none of those leagues are the NHL, the best hockey league in the world. What’s more, Francouz would be coming in as a first-year player (at 29, he’s technically too old to be considered a rookie) backing up a goalie, Philipp Grubauer, in his first season as a starter.