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Justus Annunen

Avalanche Notes: Rantanen, Landeskog, Lehkonen, Annunen

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When asked about a potential contract extension, star Colorado Avalanche winger Mikko Rantanen has shared that he plans to stay in Denver for the foreseeable future and that the business side of things will sort itself out, per Aarif Deen of Mile High Sports.

Rantanen is coming off yet another career year, posting 42 goals and 104 points – just one point shy of the career high he sent last season, though he played in two fewer games this year. He’s emerged as the clear 1B to Nathan MacKinnon’s 1A – giving Colorado one of the most formidable top lines in the league. Rantanen has climbed to 617 points in 570 career games – with 301 of those points coming in the last three seasons alone. He seems focused on repeating the dominant scoring this season, confident that a new deal with Avalanche will come to fruition when necessary.

Other notes out of the Mile High City:

  • Head coach Jared Bednar spoke with the media ahead of Colorado’s start to training camp and among the updates, shared that there’s no news on team captain Gabriel Landeskog per Deen. Bednar mentioned that Landeskog has made big strides but that the situation remains up in the air. He hasn’t played since June of 2022, supporting Colorado’s run to the 2022 Stanley Cup after a trio of injury-shortened seasons. He’s an incredibly effective scorer when he plays, scoring 30 goals and 59 points in 51 games in his most recent season. That’s the production that fans have come to expect from their captain, leading Landeskog to 571 points across 738 career games. There’s hope that he can return to the top flight soon, though it seems he’ll need to overcome more hurdles before he’s back in the NHL.
  • Winger Artturi Lehkonen isn’t expected to attend training camp as he continues recovering from a shoulder injury that required surgery in May, shares Meghan Angley of The DNVR.com. Lehkonen only appeared in 45 games last season, but still managed an admirable 16 goals and 34 points. He’s flashed strong scoring over the last three seasons, totaling 123 points in 183 games split between Montreal and Colorado. He’ll sit out of the team’s training camp, hoping to return to a solid lineup role once he’s healthy.
  • Bednar also shared high remarks for top goalie prospect Justus Annunen, sharing that he could eat into starter Alexandar Georgiev’s workload, shares Angley. Georgiev has played in 125 games over the last two seasons,  recording a modest 78 wins and .908 save percentage. Annunen split time between the NHL and AHL last season, posting an impressive .928 save percentage in the outings. He emerged as a top-end AHL starter in 2022-23, with 22 wins and a .916 save percentage in 41 appearances. It’s not clear how the Avalanche will platoon their netminders this year, but Annunen’s recent success could be too much for Colorado to ignore.

Avalanche Sign Justus Annunen To Two-Year Contract Extension

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The Colorado Avalanche have reportedly signed goaltender Justus Annunen to a two-year, one-way contract extension, per NHL insider Kevin Weekes. Weekes adds that the deal will carry a cap hit of around $833K.

This move is a welcome bode of confidence in the 24-year-old Annunen, who has played in just 12 NHL games since debuting in the 2021-22 season. He’s managed an admirable seven wins and .908 save percentage in those appearances – including a .926 save percentage in eight games this season – but he’s still struggled to win out starting spots over backup competition Ivan Prosvetov and Pavel Francouz over the last few years- the latter yet to play this season. The matter isn’t helped by the fact that starter Alexandar Georgiev has played in an NHL-leading 56 games. But now on a one-way deal, Annunen can breathe a sign of relief knowing that starts are soon to come.

And Annunen has certainly earned the opportunity. He’s posted 60 wins across 114 AHL games since joining the league at the end of the 2020-21 season, recording a combined .903 save percentage. He’s seeing that success translate to the NHL for the first time this season, finally starting to find his footing at the top level. With the progress, Annunen joins fellow 2018 draftees Joel Hofer and Lukas Dostal as encouraging, young netminders fighting for starts from a backup role.

Snapshots: Jenner, Schiefele, Annunen

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The Columbus Blue Jackets have activated forward Boone Jenner off of injured reserve. This move confirms team reporter Aaron Portzline’s earlier report that the team captain would make his return on Friday.

Jenner is in his 11th season with the Blue Jackets and his third season as the team’s captain. He’s spent all 686 of his career games with Columbus – beating out Rick Nash for the most games in club history. Jenner has managed 347 points in those games, good for third in club history. Jenner had a career year in the 2015-16 season, managing 30 goals and 49 points in 82 games, while boasting a fairly meager 13.3 shooting percentage. He struggled to replicate that scoring ability for much of the subsequent years but has found a newfound finishing ability over recent seasons – netting 23 goals and 26 goals in the last two seasons respectively.  Jenner has 13 goals and 18 points in 29 games this season.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Mark Scheifele is expected to miss the Winnipeg Jets’ Saturday matchup against the Ottawa Senators says head coach Rick Bowness. He is battling a lower-body injury suffered on January 11th. He will be reevaluated ahead of the team’s Monday game against the Boston Bruins. Scheifele was placed on injured reserve on January 16th – with the placement retroactive to January 12th – making Saturday the first game that he could have returned for. His absence corresponded with teammate Kyle Connor’s return from injured reserve, helping to keep Winnipeg’s offense alive while their leading-scorer Scheifele misses time.
  • The Colorado Avalanche have sent 23-year-old goaltender Justus Annunen to the minors. He was recalled on January 13th and made his season debut, saving 36 of 40 shots in a 7-4 win over the Ottawa Senators. He’s now up to five career NHL games spread over the last three seasons, boasting a 3-1-1 record and .871 save percentage in them. Annunen returns to the AHL, where he’s already managed a 9-5-4 record and .908 save percentage in 18 games this season.

Avalanche Recall Justus Annunen

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The Avalanche have recalled netminder Justus Annunen from the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, according to a team announcement on Saturday night.

The news doesn’t indicate an injury to either of the Avalanche’s two rostered goalies, Alexandar Georgiev and Ivan Prosvetov. Instead, head coach Jared Bednar told the team he prefers to have a third option in the mix for time in the crease during the team’s upcoming back-to-back set of games against the Canadiens and Senators, a team spokesman told The Denver Post’s Corey Masisak.

Annunen, 23, was signed to a one-year, two-way deal last summer after reaching RFA status upon the conclusion of his entry-level contract. This is the second recall of the season after he was rostered for the first week of the campaign to provide competition for the backup job with Prosvetov, a pre-season waiver claim. The 2018 third-round pick has a .908 SV% in 18 games with the Eagles, posting a 2.62 GAA and 9-5-4 record.

He has four games of NHL experience, coming in the form of two appearances each in the last two seasons. Through a small sample size, he hasn’t impressed, posting a .859 SV% and 3.92 GAA. He’s allowed 4.8 goals above expected in only 214 minutes between the pipes (equivalent to 3.57 60-minute games), per MoneyPuck, although he has recorded a 2-1-1 record.

A decent start in the AHL has kept his development on track, and he remains a future option as a potential tandem netminder for the Avs. Expecting Annunen to be a long-term starter is likely too optimistic, but the 6-foot-4 Finn has shown enough improvement at the minor-league level this season to earn a qualifying offer when he reaches RFA status again next summer. He will be eligible for salary arbitration.

Colorado Avalanche Place Pavel Francouz On LTIR, Recall Two

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The Colorado Avalanche have placed backup netminder Pavel Francouz on long-term injured reserve, providing the necessary cap space for the club to recall two players: forward Riley Tufte and netminder Justus Annunen.

Francouz remains out dealing with a long-term injury, and the Avalanche have been proactive in shoring up their backup goalie job in his absence. The club claimed former Arizona Coyotes netminder Ivan Prosvetov off of waivers yesterday, and now appear to be setting up for Annunen and Prosvetov to compete for starts behind starter Alexandar Georgiev.

Tufte, like Prosvetov, found himself on season-opening waivers although he ended up unclaimed. That allowed the Avalanche to temporarily stash the 2016 first-round pick in the AHL before returning him to the NHL today.

Tufte is a hulking six-foot-six winger whose offense never quite developed as hoped, though he did score 19 goals in the AHL last season. He’s slated to grapple for a bottom-six role in head coach Jared Bednar’s lineup this season.

Colorado Sends Annunen to AHL, Prosvetov Becomes Backup

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The Colorado Avalanche have sent goaltender Justus Annunen to the minor leagues. This seemingly locks in waiver claim Ivan Prosvetov as the team’s backup while Pavel Francouz is injured. There remains no timetable for Francouz’s return from an injury that required adductor surgery this summer.

Colorado drafted Annunen in the third round of the 2018 NHL Draft, the third-highest-picked goalie from the class. He’s appeared in four NHL games over the last two seasons, recording a 2-1-1 record and a .859 save percentage. He has also played in 91 AHL games over four seasons, recording a .904 save percentage through that stretch.

Annunen, 23, has only played North American hockey for roughly three seasons, coming over from Finland after Karpat’s second-round playoff defeat in 2021. He moved into the AHL with professional experience on his back, appearing in 49 Liiga games while in Finland and another 22 Mestis games – Finland’s top league and second league respectively. He recorded a confident 2.18 goals-against-average and .906 save percentage in his Liiga experience, setting a 22-15-11 record.

Prosvetov is one year older than Annunen and has much more experience with North American hockey, playing in the NAHL, USHL, and OHL before turning pro with the Arizona Coyotes. Prosvetov has played in 125 AHL games, setting a .895 save percentage and a nicely-split 54-54-11 record. He’s also added 13 NHL games, recording a .871 save percentage. His most recent NHL experience game just last season, serving as one of three goalies to suit up for Arizona last year.

The two goalies are in competition for a backup role that’s left by Francouz, who is still recovering from a groin injury suffered in May. Francouz has been assigned to injured reserve for the start of the season.

Colorado Avalanche Re-Sign Justus Annunen

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The Colorado Avalanche have re-signed AHL netminder Justus Annunen to a one-year two-way deal with a $775k cap hit and a $225k minor league salary.

Annunen, 23, took a strong step forward this past season with the Colorado Eagles, improving his save percentage from an .893 in his rookie AHL campaign to a .916 in 41 games this year.

The big six-foot-four goalie was a backup goalie for two seasons with Karpat in the Finnish Liiga before joining the Avalanche’s AHL affiliate. In the AHL Annunen has acclimated himself to a far greater workload than what he received in Finland, and his form this past year is an encouraging sign for his NHL future in Colorado.

Incumbent backup netminder Pavel Francouz is 33 years old and will see his contract expire at the end of next season, so this one-year extension provides Annunen an excellent platform to make a push for an NHL number-two job in Denver.

Snapshots: Brossoit, Fines, Annunen

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The Vegas Golden Knights have placed Laurent Brossoit on injured reserve, meaning he is out for at least the next week. The 29-year-old goaltender only just returned a week ago, and flashed one of the best saves of the year on Saturday against the Dallas Stars.

An injury to Brossoit is certainly not what the Golden Knights need right now, but they at least don’t have a back-to-back situation for the next little while. Logan Thompson can carry the load, with Michael Hutchinson up serving as his backup.

  • The Department of Player Safety handed out a pair of fines from the Vancouver-Dallas game last night. First is a $5,000 penalty to Colin Miller for elbowing, and second is a $2,027.03 fine to Christian Wolanin for slashing. The fines are based on player salary, and are each the maximum allowable under the CBA.
  • The Colorado Avalanche have recalled Justus Annunen again, as they prepare for a back-to-back this weekend against Dallas and Seattle. The 22-year-old netminder has appeared just once this season, stopping 19 of 20 shots to secure a victory over the St. Louis Blues earlier this month.

Snapshots: Greenway, Jonsson-Fjallby, Avalanche

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The San Jose Sharks are one of the most active teams on the market right now, and it’s not only because of Timo Meier. The team is expected to make several other moves, targeting young, cost-controlled NHL assets if possible. They’ve been linked heavily to Dante Fabbro of the Nashville Predators, and David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period also believes they are interested in Jordan Greenway of the Minnesota Wild.

The 26-year-old Greenway is signed through 2024-25 and carries a $3MM cap hit, but his offense has completely dried up this season. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet also referenced Greenway’s availability in a recent 32 Thoughts column, as the Wild try to position themselves for success this season with an eye on some hefty cap penalties coming down the pipe. With just two goals on the season, perhaps the 6’6″ forward doesn’t fit the team’s plan anymore.

  • The Winnipeg Jets have recalled Axel Jonsson Fjallby once again, as Nino Niederreiter is now designated as a non-roster player as he deals with immigration issues. The newest Jet is expected to join the club early this week, though this move throws some uncertainty on when exactly that will be. Niederreiter was acquired from the Predators in exchange for a second-round pick yesterday.
  • The Colorado Avalanche have sent Brad Hunt and Justus Annunen back to the minor leagues, as they await their game tomorrow night against the Vegas Golden Knights. Despite having Gabriel Landeskog on LTIR, the Avalanche have set their cap up to accrue extra space in the meantime. A goaltender will be recalled tomorrow at the very least, though it could be Jonas Johansson if it’s just as a backup.

Avalanche Assign Jonas Johansson To AHL, Recall Justus Annunen

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Following last night’s victory over Winnipeg where he dressed as the backup goaltender, the Avalanche returned goaltender Jonas Johansson to AHL Colorado, per the AHL’s transactions log.  In a corresponding move, Justus Annunen has been recalled from the Eagles.

Johansson has spent the majority of the season in the minors, posting an impressive 2.50 GAA along with a .915 SV% in 23 games.  The 27-year-old also has made one appearance with the Avs, kicking aside all seven shots he faced in 23 minutes while extending his streak to four years of seeing NHL action.

Annunen, meanwhile, saw his first NHL action of the season last Saturday against St. Louis, stopping 19 of 20 shots for the victory.  The 22-year-old has put up similar numbers to Johansson with the Eagles with a 2.53 GAA and a .913 SV% in 29 contests.  Still a prospect, it has made sense for the Avs to keep him in the minors and the older Johansson up with the big club to serve as the backup so this move suggests that Annunen might get the start tonight against Calgary.

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