Ranking every Avalanche goalie in history, from a clear No. 1 to No. 38 -

Since moving to Colorado ahead of the 1995-96 season, the Avalanche have used 38 goalies. Some have been All-Stars, and others were career backups. A few never played in the NHL again after their moments with the Avalanche.

With another season inching nearer, I dove into every Avalanche goalie since the team moved to Denver in 1995, ranking them based on their resume and moments with the club. Here’s what I found.

1. Patrick Roy, 1995-2003
•478 games, 262-140-65, .918 save percentage in regular season
•133 games, 81-52, .922 save percentage in playoffs
•Two Stanley Cup championship, one Conn Smythe Trophy and one Jennings Trophy

There’s not much need to get too in-depth on what makes Roy the clear No. 1. His resume speaks for itself. And though all three of Roy’s Vezina trophies came with Montreal, he finished in the top 10 for the award every year he was with Colorado and had two top-three finishes. On top of his Hall of Fame-level regular season numbers, his fiery presence and playoff brilliance make him the only Avalanche goalie with his number in the Ball Arena rafters.

We’ll see if someone tells Roy about his ranking on this list. He might not be able to hear — he has Stanley Cup rings plugging his ears, after all.

2. Semyon Varlamov, 2011-19
•389 games, 183-156-38, .915 save percentage in regular season
•7 games, 3-4, .913 save percentage in playoffs

Varlamov left Colorado before the team was a true Stanley Cup contender, but that doesn’t take away from how good he was with the Avalanche. He had one of the franchise’s greatest-ever goalie seasons in 2013-14, winning a team-record 41 games with a .927 save percentage. That was enough for a second-place finish in Vezina voting and a fourth-place finish in the Hart race.

One could make a case for a goalie with more playoff success being ahead of Varlamov, but no one aside from Roy comes close to his longevity as Colorado’s main netminder. He’s second in franchise history in games played behind only Roy, and he consistently put up good numbers, even when he wasn’t playing behind a strong group of skaters.

3. Philipp Grubauer, 2018-21
•113 games, 66-30-10, .918 save percentage in regular season
•29 games, 18-10, .920 save percentage in playoffs

Colorado’s disastrous second-round loss to Vegas in 2021 made for a disappointing end to Grubauer’s Avalanche tenure, but it’s short-sighted to let that define his time with the club. When healthy, Grubauer was generally a good postseason performer — that came at Colorado’s expense in 2023 — and he had a Vezina finalist season in 2021 before leaving for Seattle. Plus, the man knows how to rock a cowboy hat.

4. Darcy Kuemper, 2021-22
•57 games, 37-12-4, .921 save percentage in regular season
•16 games, 10-4, .902 save percentage in playoffs
•Stanley Cup

Kuemper’s time in Denver was brief, but it was memorable enough to vault him into the top five. He put together a strong regular season, then battled through an eye injury to become the second Avalanche goalie ever in net for a Stanley Cup clincher. During the Final, he picked up a secondary assist on Nazem Kadri’s Game 4 overtime winner and made a huge save on Nikita Kucherov late in Game 6.

5. David Aebischer, 2000-06
•174 games, 89-58-14, .915 save percentage in regular season
•13 games, 6-5, .922 save percentage in playoffs
•Stanley Cup

The Avalanche have had a difficult time drafting goalies, but they hit on Aebischer. He was the No. 2 on a Stanley Cup winner, then became Colorado’s first No. 1 goalie in the post-Roy era. Unfortunately for the Swiss netminder, he struggled after the lockout. Colorado traded him in 2006 for Jose Theodore, who will appear later on this list.

6. Alexandar Georgiev, 2022-present
•62 games, 40-16-6, .918 save percentage in regular season
•7 games, 3-4, .914 save percentage in playoffs

Georgiev was confident he had the talent to be a starting goalie, and he proved it in 2022-23. If he keeps it up, he could move up this list — especially if the Avalanche have playoff success in the coming years.

7. Craig Anderson, 2009-11
•104 games, 51-40-10, .911 save percentage in regular season
•6 games, 2-4, .933 save percentage in playoffs

Similar to Georgiev, Anderson had one very strong season in Colorado. He struggled the next year, though, which puts him behind the Bulgarian backstop on the all-time ranking.

8. Peter Budaj, 2005-11
•242 games, 101-91-27, .901 save percentage in regular season
•4 games, 0-0, .899 save percentage in playoffs

Budaj ranks third all-time in games played for the Avalanche, and while his career doesn’t have the highs of some other goalies, that longevity has to count for something. He never started a playoff game for Colorado but had a couple adequate years as the team’s main No. 1. Budaj is now back with the organization as an AHL goalie coach.

9. Pavel Francouz, 2018-present
•73 games, 44-21-6, .915 save percentage in regular season
•13 games, 8-4, .899 save percentage in playoffs
•Stanley Cup

Francouz has a case to be above Budaj based on his six wins in the 2022 playoffs, but he’s never been the team’s primary starter and has had the benefit of playing on stacked teams. Still, he deserves a ton of credit for stepping up when Kuemper was hurt in Colorado’s recent Stanley Cup run. He was excellent in games 2 and 3 of the conference finals against Edmonton.

10. Jose Theodore, 2006-08
•91 games, 42-39-5, .902 save percentage in regular season
•19 games, 8-11, .904 save percentage in playoffs

Though he peaked with Montreal, Theodore twice won a postseason series with Colorado: one in 2006 and one in 2008. After a lackluster 2006-07 season during which Budaj took over as starter, Theodore had a solid season as the main goalie in 2007-08.

11. Jonathan Bernier, 2017-18
•37 games, 19-13-3, .913 save percentage in regular season
•4 games, 1-3, .883 save percentage in playoffs

Varlamov dealt with injuries during Bernier’s one year with Colorado, and the No. 2 goalie stepped up to help Colorado into the playoffs — a big achievement for the club, which was coming off a disastrous 2016-17 season. Bernier won nine straight games midway through the regular season and was in net for the memorable, playoff-clinching Game 82 against St. Louis. He got hurt in the postseason, but his contribution to getting there was vital.

12. Jean-Sebastien Giguere, 2011-14
•72 games, 31-21-8, .914 save percentage in regular season

Giguere was a reliable No. 2 for the Avalanche and also housed a rookie Nathan MacKinnon in 2013-14.

13. Craig Billington, 1996-99
•67 games, 30-23-7, .910 save percentage in regular season
•3 games, 0-0, .895 save percentage in playoffs

Originally a waiver claim from Florida, Billington was a solid reserve to Roy. He joined the Avalanche front office after his career and got his name on the Stanley Cup after the 2022 championship.

14. Calvin Pickard, 2014-17
•86 games, 28-44-6, .914 save percentage in regular season

Pickard had the misfortune of being the starter during Colorado’s 48-point 2016-17 season and led the league in losses, but he still managed to have a save percentage above .900 on the year. It’s hard to pin the disastrous season on him. He had good numbers in occasional action the two years before.

15. Stephane Fiset, 1995-96
•37 games, 22-6-7, .898 save percentage in regular season
•1 game, 0 shots faced in playoffs
•Stanley Cup

Fiset was the first Avalanche goalie ever to appear in a game, and his .898 save percentage in 1995-96 was better than the league average. The Roy trade robbed him of his starting spot, but that’s not his fault.

16. Marc Denis, 1996-2000
•28 games, 10-10-4, .916 save percentage in regular season

A first-round pick, Denis was another Roy reserve who saw sporadic action. (Roy, after all, was usually healthy.)

17. Andrew Hammond, 2018
•1 game, 0-1-0, .939 save percentage in regular season
•3 games, 1-1, .933 in playoffs

With Varlamov and Bernier injured, Hammond gave Colorado a memorable playoff outing, saving 44 shots in a 2-1 victory against Nashville in the first round.

18. Michael Hutchinson, 2020
•1 game, 1-0-0, .944 save percentage in regular season
•4 games, 2-1-0, .910 save percentage in playoffs

Like Hammond, Hutchinson is on the top half of this list because of quality play in a small sample size of playoff games. With injuries to Grubauer and Francouz, Hutchinson filled in admirably in Colorado’s 2020 series against the Stars. He nearly came away with a Game 7 win, but Dallas scored late in regulation and won in overtime.

19. Reto Berra, 2014-16
•35 games, 10-13-2, .915 in regular season

There’s something to be said for a perfectly serviceable backup, and that’s what Berra was. Colorado traded a second-round pick to get him, which was probably a bit of an overpay. But hey, Hunter Smith, the player Calgary drafted with the pick, never played an NHL game, so no harm done. (That said, each of the two picks after Smith — Brandon Montour and Ryan Donato — have played more than 300 NHL games.)

20. Jonas Johansson, 2021-23
•20 games, 10-3-2, .901 save percentage in regular season

Johansson’s best moment as an Avalanche goalie came when he stopped 21 of 22 Kings shots on the final day of the 2021 season, clinching the Presidents’ Trophy for Colorado. Unfortunately for Johansen, he missed out on being the No. 3 goalie for the 2022 Cup run because Florida claimed him on waivers midway through the season. (Johansen ultimately came back the next offseason, only to get claimed by Arizona and then re-claimed by Colorado. He probably racked up some airline miles.)

21. Tyler Weiman, 2007
•1 game, 0-0-0, 1.000 save percentage in regular season

Weiman holds the Avalanche career record for save percentage (minimum one game played). He relieved Budaj in a 4-0 loss to Nashville in 2007 and stopped all 10 shots he saw. That marked the end of his brief but perfect NHL career.

22. Andrew Raycroft, 2008-09
•31 games, 12-16-0, .892 save percentage in regular season

A Calder Trophy winner with Boston, Raycroft was the second goalie on a forgettable 2008-09 Avalanche team.

23. Philippe Sauve, 2003-04
•17 games, 7-7-3, .896 save percentage in regular season

His time with the Avalanche was short-lived, but Sauve did have a memorable moment playing against them. In 2006, while with the Flames, he had a goalie fight with Aebischer, his former teammate.

24. Brian Elliott, 2011
•12 games, 2-8-1, .891 save percentage in regular season

We’re reaching the, “oh, that guy played for the Avalanche?” stage. Colorado acquired Elliott for Anderson with the latter struggling in 2010-11, and Elliott left for the Blues in free agency that summer.

25. Vitali Kolesnik, 2005-06
•8 games, 3-3-0, .888 save percentage in regular season

Kolesnik is the answer to an extremely difficult Avalanche trivia question. In 2005, he became the first Colorado goalie to win a shootout, defeating Martin Brodeur in the process. He gets a tiny boost in his ranking because of that.

26. Jocelyn Thibault, 1995-96
•10 games, 3-4-2, .874 save percentage in regular season

Does getting traded in a package for Roy give you a bit of extra credit on a list like this? I say yes. Because of the midseason blockbuster, Thibault will always be part of Avalanche history — even if just as a footnote.

27. Tommy Salo, 2004
•5 games, 1-3-1, .912 save percentage in regular season
•1 game, 0-0, 1.000 save percentage in playoffs

Yes, he was only in a playoff game after the starter got pulled, but look at that small sample-size save percentage!

28. Adam Werner, 2019
•2 games, 1-1-0, .914 save percentage in regular season

Werner made 40 saves in his NHL debut, a 4-0 win against Winnipeg. Connor McDavid brought him back to earth in his next game, though. The Oilers star had a hat trick, and Werner got pulled after allowing five goals. That was his final appearance for the Avalanche.

29. Jeremy Smith, 2017
•10 games, 1-6-1, .888 save percentage in regular season

None of the Colorado goalies had it easy during the 2016-17 season.

30. Rick Tabaracci, 1999-2000
•2 games, 1-0-0, .889 save percentage in regular season

The Blue Jackets took Tabaracci from Colorado with the first pick in the 2000 expansion draft. The selection appears peculiar on the surface, but it was part of a larger deal. The Blue Jackets had acquired Denis (No. 16 on this list) from Colorado for a second-round pick earlier in the summer, but the trade was contingent on Columbus taking Tabaracci in the expansion draft rather than Aebischer or one of Colorado’s skaters.

31. Devan Dubnyk, 2021
•5 games, 3-2-0, .886 save percentage in regular season

Colorado’s Dubnyk acquisition left many Avalanche fans conflicted since the goalie had been a rival with Minnesota. But the trade ended up being a low-impact one. Dubnyk brought insurance to the goaltender group, but he didn’t play in the postseason and never signed another NHL contract.

32. Antoine Bibeau, 2019
•2 games, 1-0-0, .881 save percentage in regular season

Colorado had five goalies, including Bibeau, win at least one game in 2019-20. That’s the most goalies the Avalanche have had collect a win in a single season since moving to Denver.

33. Keith Kinkaid, 2023
•1 game, 0-0-0, .889 save percentage in regular season

Acquired from Boston midseason, Kinkaid hadn’t received Colorado pads by the time he made his Avalanche debut, so he took the ice with bright yellow gear. It clashed with his white and burgundy jersey but made for a good story.

34. Sami Aittokallio, 2013-2014
•2 games, 0-1-0, .884 save percentage in regular season

Like others on this list, Aittokallio falls into the minuscule sample size category.

35. Roman Will, 2016
•1 game, 0-0-0, .667 save percentage in regular season

Will has the worst save percentage of any Avalanche goalie to appear in at least one game, but it’s hard to fault him too much for that. Coming in for mop-up duty, he saw only three shots and stopped two of them. If he hadn’t let in Dylan DeMelo’s first NHL goal, he’d be with Weiman in the perfection club.

36. Justus Annunen, 2021-present
•4 games, 2-1-1, .859 save percentage in regular season

Annunen, who was the No. 3 goalie on the 2022 Stanley Cup team, is only 23 and has the most upward mobility of anyone on this list. Through four games, though, his numbers are less-than-stellar. We’ll see if he can develop into a reliable contributor in the coming years.

37. Spencer Martin, 2017
•3 games, 0-2-1, .865 save percentage in regular season

Though he has a slightly better save percentage than Annunen, Martin failed to win a game with the Avalanche. Some of that likely has to do with the team in front of him, but it gave Annunen the edge in these rankings.

38. Hunter Miska, 2021
•5 games, 1-1-2, .838 save percentage in regular season

The Avalanche were in a bind after Francouz, their No. 2 goalie, got hurt early in the 2021 season, so Miska was asked to take on more responsibility than he was ready for. That showed in his numbers, and Colorado eventually acquired Johansson and Dubnyk for more goalie depth.

This ranking is a little uncharitable toward Miska, who caught a lot of unnecessary flak from fans after some of his tough outings. But in a list of 38, someone has to be 38.

#Avs goalie Hunter Miska has an unshakable bond with his dad, Todd, who paints masks for a living and is grateful that he lived to see his son play in the NHL.

He wasn’t always sure he would.

Story: https://t.co/DxL76o0F9k

Also, click the link to access our $1/month deal. pic.twitter.com/8FxactuD1x

— Peter Baugh (@Peter_Baugh) March 16, 2021

(Photo of Patrick Roy: Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images Studios / Getty Images)

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