The Colorado Avalanche announced today that fan-favorite goaltender Pavel Francouz will be out for the rest of the season because of a lower-body injury. He will join his family in Czechia for the rest of the season as he rehabs the injury.
Colorado Avalanche goaltender Pavel Francouz will miss the remainder of the 2023-24 season due to a lower-body injury. He will return to the Czech Republic with his family for rest of the year. pic.twitter.com/HoinjxUdEM
— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) November 12, 2023
This is not the first time that Francouz has missed significant time because of injury. After going down in the playoff bubble, it forced him to miss the entire 2020–21 season. He had gotten offseason surgery to help repair the hip injuries, but it has continued to haunt him since.
This will unfortunately finish out his contract that he signed on March 12, 2022, and spent a good deal on the injury reserve list since. Francouz could only put together 16 starts last season with a .915 save percentage and 2.16 goals against average.
Pavel Francouz with the biiiig stretch to deny the goal! 🐈 pic.twitter.com/dmwQgrNxje
— NHL (@NHL) January 13, 2023
Fans loved Francouz for his role in the Avalanche’s Stanley Cup victory and his performance in seven games after Darcy Kuemper’s injury. Francouz went 6–0 in those seven games that he played in, owning a .906 save percentage.
Pavel Francouz was PERFECT tonight. 🗣️🗣️🗣️ #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/HpUkTfS8dS
— NHL (@NHL) June 3, 2022
So far this season, he has appeared briefly for three days in August during the captain’s skates, but took no shots. He was around during training camp, but never on the ice at all.
We have the first appearance of a #Avs goalie with Pavel Francouz here this morning. #Avs #GoAvsGo @TheRinkColorado pic.twitter.com/zmwlarGXXL
— Brennan Vogt (@brennan_vogt) August 9, 2023
This may very well be the last that we see of Francouz with his contract ending this summer. If his health problems continue, this may be the last of the Frankie chants that we will hear forever.