The Montreal Canadiens took on a couple of contracts in a summer trade that also resulted in them adding a prospect and a draft pick.
Taking on Jeff Petry and Casey DeSmith’s money only done because it also got them Nathan Legare and a second round pick. The Canadiens were also able to shed the salaries of Mike Hoffman and Rem Pitlick which was not a bad piece of business as well.
It did leave them with too many NHL players though. They have already traded Petry, as he was shipped to the Detroit Red Wings, but they have not yet found a home for DeSmith. The veteran goaltender would be a solid backup for any team, but the Habs already have Sam Montembeault and Jake Allen under contract and just don’t need all three.
The problem has been finding a team that really needs another goaltender. By the time DeSmith landed in Montreal, on August 6th, most teams had figured out their goaltending situation for next season. That is especially true of the contending teams that would want a reliable veteran backup.
It seems like plans are changing for one contending team and they just might end up being the perfect landing spot for DeSmith.
The Colorado Avalanche went with a tandem of Alexandar Georgiev and Pavel Francouz last season and appeared set to go with them again in 2023-24. However, Francouz dealt with injuries last season and Frank Seravalli recently reported that could creep into the upcoming season as well.
#Avs appear to be examining options on the goalie market. Sounds like Pavel Francouz has not completely recovered from his offseason adductor surgery and there is concern he will miss some time.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) September 14, 2023
Francouz made just 16 starts for the Avalanche last season.@DailyFaceoff
Seravalli, one of the more trusted insiders in the game, suggests the Avalanche are now scouring the goaltending market as Francouz is still recovering from offseason adductor surgery.
The only remaining free agents are Brian Elliott and Jaroslav Halak, but neither of them had strong seasons in 2022-23 and they are both 38 years old. There is never a robust trade market for goalies so the options are limited.
The Canadiens are one of the few teams around the league looking to move one, and DeSmith could be a perfect fit for the Avalanche. The 32 year old DeSmith posted a 3.17 GAA and a .905 SV% in 38 games but was even better when playing a little less in previous seasons. He had a 2.79 GAA and a .914 SV% in 26 games in 2021-22 and a 2.54 GAA with a .912 SV% the previous year in 20 games.
Georgiev played 62 games with Colorado last season which was a huge jump from his previous career high of 34. The Avalanche would obviously like to keep him around 52-55 to avoid him burning out late in the season. They won’t be able to do that if their backup is injured, so bringing in DeSmith to fill the void makes a lot of sense.
It wouldn’t be a huge return for the Canadiens, but a later draft pick from the Avalanche to move out DeSmith would make sense for both sides. With Francouz status up in the air, it is definitely something to keep an eye on as training camp approaches.
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