Justus Annunen extended for two more years

A nice reward for the young Avalanche goaltender.

Following the news of his start tonight against the Montreal Canadiens, word leaked that the Colorado Avalanche had extended their young netminder Justus Annunen to a two-year contract extension through the 2025-26 season.

Annunen has provided a solid secondary option in net for the second half of the season allowing Alexandar Georgiev some more nights off. With a 5-2-1 record, 2.38 goals against average and a .926 save percentage, Annunen certainly earned another contract with the Avalanche.

While the official contract details have yet to be announced if it follows through on Kevin Weekes’ report of $833k AAV over the two years it is an affordable deal for the Avalanche. But is this a contract for a NHL backup goaltender?

Annunen is already making $775k on a two-way contract so the upgrade to a one-way is a nice reward for him but not much of a raise on the cap hit. The two-year term also makes it more likely he’d clear waivers if Annunen slides down the depth chart next season. The going rate for young backups is around a million, so either this is a bargain option for Colorado or it gives them flexibility to find a more experienced backup this summer and have Annunen as the third goaltender in the organization. Still, it’s great to see the commitment to keep Annunen around for two more seasons.