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Grubauer, Orpik for 2nd round pick

June 22, 2018, 7:57 PM ET [10 Comments]
Rick Sadowski
Colorado Avalanche Blogger •Avalanche Insider • RSSArchiveCONTACT
The Avalanche have a new goalie in Philipp Grubauer, so Jonathan Bernier’s time in Denver will end after one season.

Colorado acquired Grubauer and defenseman Brooks Orpik from Stanley Cup champion Washington on Friday about an hour before the start of the NHL draft for the first of their two second-round picks (No. 47).

But they aren’t interested keeping Orpik, 37, who is in the final year of a five-year, $27.5 million contract with a salary cap hit of $5.5 million.

If the Avalanche can’t trade Orpik, they are expected to buy him out.

The Avalanche still have a pick in all seven rounds, including the No. 16 pick Friday. Ottawa kept the No. 4 pick and will transfer its 2019 first-round pick to the Avalanche to complete the Matt Duchene trade.

Grubauer, 26, is a restricted free agent, and the Avalanche are already negitiating with his agent on a three-year deal. He is coming off a one-year, $1.5 million contract.

He went 15-10-3 in 35 regular-season games last season with three shutouts, a 2.35 goals-against average and .923 save percentage.

Grubauer started the Capitals first two playoff games and didn’t do well, going 0-1 with a 4.57 goals-against average and .837 save percentage. He has a career playoff record of 1-1 in four games with a 4.24 goals-against average and .835 save percentage.

Braden Holtby played every playoff game the rest of the way.

Grubauer’s 15 wins were a career high. The 6-foot-1, 191-pound Grubauer has a 43-31-11 career record with six shutouts, a 2.29 goals-against average and .923 save percentage.

A native of Rosenheim, Germany, his 43 wins rank third among German-born goalies, trailing Olaf Kolzig (303) and Thomas Greiss (98).

He was Washington’s fourth-round pick (No. 112) in the 2010 NHL draft.

Grubauer will back up injury-prone Semyon Varlamov, at least at the start of the 2018-19 season. Varlamov missed 18 games last season and all six playoff games, the latter with a knee injury. Coincidentally, Varlamov was acquired from Washington on July 1, 2011 for first- and second-round picks in 2012.

Orpik had 10 assists in 81 regular-season games and five points (one goal, four assists) in 24 playoff games.

A two-time Stanley Cup champion – he won with Pittsburgh in 2009 – Orpik has 185 points (16 goals, 169 assists) in 982 regular-season games and 24 points (three goals, 21 assists) in 149 playoff games.



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