The Colorado Avalanche Aren't Giving Up On This Pending UFA Yet

According to Pierre LeBrun, the Colorado Avalanche are likely going to send Philipp Grubauer one last contract offer before free agency begins.

Status quo on pending UFA and Vezina Trophy finalist Philipp Grubauer but I suspect the Avs will make a new offer at the 11th hour before the market opens. We'll see.@TSNHockey @TheAthletic
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) July 26, 2021

The 29-year-old goaltender is coming off a fantastic season, so it makes sense that they are not ready to give up just yet. In 40 games this season, he had a 30-9-1 record, a 1.95 goals against average and a .922 save percentage. His stellar play also made him a Vezina Trophy finalist.

Although there are going to be a lot of free agent goalies available, it will be hard to find one who can replicate the success of Grubauer. Trading for Darcy Kuemper could be an option if they lose him, but Grubauer should still be priority number one in goal.

This could end up being a very tough off-season for the Avalanche. They can lose both Grubauer and captain Gabriel Landeskog to free agency starting Wednesday, so the clock is ticking.