Keith Kincaid trade was ‘depth pickup’ for Avalanche
The position widely circled as the Avalanche’s biggest trade deadline need has been, and remains, center. So it raised eyebrows when general manager Chris Macfarland acquired a goaltender Saturday from Boston.
With backup goalie Pavel Francouz injured, the timing of Colorado’s trade for 33-year-old Keith Kincaid seemed on the surface to be packed with subtext: Is Francouz going to be out longer than the expected mid-march timeline? Was this an emergency play for Alexandar Georgiev’s new playoff backup?
But Avalanche coach Jared Bednar says Francouz (lower body) hasn’t experienced any setbacks in his recovery, calling Kincaid a “depth pickup.” Kincaid, who has spent most of this season in the AHL with the Providence Bruins, reported to the Colorado Eagles in Loveland after the trade.
“Frankie, we had the three-, four-week window. Basically four weeks, right?” Bednar said. “We’re not quite two into that. He hasn’t had a setback, but there’s no guarantee that it’s going to be exactly four. So, (Kincaid is) safety. Veteran guy. He’s been around. Not unlike some of the pickups we’ve had in years past at this time.”
Navigating the absence of Francouz has been a complex web. The Avs (33-19-5) brought Jonas Johansson to Winnipeg for their game Friday, while prospect Justus Annunen played for the Eagles back home. Then on Saturday, the goalies swapped: Annunen was called up to the NHL roster, while Johansson returned to Loveland and started for the Eagles that night.
There’s a method to the madness.
“I wanted them both to play. I want to keep those guys active,” Bednar said. “We need one (in the NHL at all times). Like, someone’s going to play some games for us here. And I want to have the options, and I don’t want them sitting too long. Both those guys are used to being in the net down there. So I don’t want them jumping in the net for us when they haven’t played for a couple weeks. So we’ll continue to do that, I think.”
When asked if Kincaid will join the mix with Annunen and Johansson, rotating between Loveland and Denver, Bednar said: “Yeah, we’ll see. I’m not sure how we’re going to handle it exactly.”
When Francouz was injured earlier this season, Georgiev started 12 consecutive games without help to cover the backup’s absence. Georgiev had a .903 save percentage with 2.83 goals allowed per game during that stretch — worse than his season totals of .918 in SV% and 2.67 GAA.
The first-time starter said it wore on him but taught him lessons about workload. “Got a little break from playing time,” he told The Post in Calgary last month. “Little refresh for the mind.”
This time, Annunen has started one game, but Georgiev has still handled most of the load. Since the last Francouz start, Georgiev has played seven of eight games, with a .920 save percentage during that time.
Byram on getting back at Backlund
Avalanche defenseman Bo Byram told The Post there was no discussion amongst teammates about retaliating against Calgary’s Mikael Backlund, who angered Nathan Mackinnon with a third-period hit Saturday.
Mackinnon tried to fight Backlund after the play, but Backlund refused. Later in the period, Byram checked Backlund from behind and started a scrum.
“It’s just an intense game,” Byram said. “They’re a big, physical team, so stuff happens.”
The chippy game also featured a heavyweight fight between Milan Lucic and Kurtis Macdermid.