Patrick Roy has a lot of work ahead of him as the head coach of the Colorado Avalanche, but one of his bigger tasks will be attempting to turn around the career of goaltender Semyon Varlamov.
The Colorado Avalanche sacrificed a first round pick (used on Filip Forsberg) and second rounder (Mike Winther) to get Varlamov in 2011 and so far the return has been mediocre at best. Still, Varlamov is only 25 years old and he’s just been given a Hall of Fame goaltender to study under.
Roy brought in his old goaltending coach, Francois Allaire, to help and the duo has begun the process of modifying Varlamov’s approach to the game, according to the Denver Post. For example, they want Varlamov to keep his glove hand significantly higher so that shooters see less open net.
“That’s the first big change for him,” Roy said. “And you know what? He’s extremely receptive.”
Varlamov is scheduled to become a restricted free agent at the end of the season. How he does in 2013-14 could determine the Avalanche’s willingness to commit to him being their long-term starter.
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