'Super Joe' made another appearance for the Avalanche on Friday night

The Colorado Avalanche came into the NHL Draft tonight with a number of needs to fill but just one selection, right in the middle at 16.

Fast forward several hours and the Avalanche had their next star right wing, solved their backup goaltender position, possibly their goaltender of the future problem, and even acquired some classic snake oil veteran leadership to flip to a team in need.

Instead of using his exorbitant amount of salary cap space to overpay players in free agency, Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic used his financial flexibility to finagle a cheaper deal for goaltender Philipp Grubauer than was expected.

Word on the street coming into the first night of the draft was the Washington Capitals were hoping to land a first-round selection in exchange for their restricted free agent backup who was seeking to become a starter elsewhere.

Because the Avalanche were willing to take on the entire contract of Brooks Orpik, the Avalanche landed Grubauer alongside him for the relatively low price of the 47th overall selection.

“We knew the asking price was high,” Sakic said after completing the deal. “We had the cap room to give cap flexibility but for us to not have to give up more than did. Not second-round picks…it’s a good pick. So we still paid the price on that but we felt it was important to get Grubauer and we like what he can do for us.”

Compared to the asking price the Avalanche paid the last time they went shopping at the Washington goaltender factory, tonight’s deal was a straight heist for Sakic, who couldn’t contain his excitement about his new goaltender.

“We were looking for a second goalie,” Sakic explained. “We had a young team. We learned last year you need two goalies. We actually needed a third during the year. We wanted to make sure with our young group we had two goalies that will make sure we have great goaltending for 82 games.”

The ongoing health issues of Semyon Varlamov created a need for a high-end, sturdy backup last year. Jonathan Bernier signed a one-year, prove-it style contract and while he played admirably at times, he also battled a myriad of injuries down the stretch, including missing the final two games of Colorado’s playoff series against Nashville.

As talks with Bernier about re-signing stalled in recent days, Colorado aggressively moved on to the top external option on their board: Grubauer. While acquiring him was the first step, next comes signing him as is currently without a deal.

“I talked to him earlier,” Sakic began.” He seemed very excited and we’re going to have something worked out and we look forward to training camp.”

The early speculation is the team is looking to finalize a three-year deal with Grubauer, a significant down payment on their investment with Varlamov one year away from unrestricted free agency. While the Avalanche tried to bring back last year’s tandem, Grubauer’s youth presented an opportunity for them to potentially solve the position with their next long-term starter.

“Just look at what he’s done the last two years,” said of bringing in the German netminder. “He’s an incredible goalie. He makes everything look easy, always in good position, and now he’s a winner. We just feel he’s coming into his prime right now. We’re trying to get a little younger at that position and he was a guy on our list all year watching all year to be honest with you.

I guess you watch everybody but especially what he did down the stretch for Washington. He was a big reason they had success where they were in getting to the playoffs. He’s a great character guy and a great teammate and we just think that with him and Varly that are number one guys and goaltending is going to be a strong part of our team. That’s something you always need, you can’t win without it. I feel like we strengthened that position.”

In order to help the oft-injured Varlamov deal with his rampant injury issues, the organization is envisioning more of a split between the two goaltenders instead of a traditional set up with one starter playing upwards of 60 games.

“Right now, we feel we have two number one goalies,” Sakic said with a grin. “Like I said, we learned this year you need two goalies. I don’t know if in today’s game you can have a goalie play 65, 70 games. You want to give him rest. We feel both goalies will probably play somewhat of an equal amount for sure. The biggest thing is the players in front of ’em are going to believe in what’s behind ’em. It’s going to give us the best opportunity to win hockey games.”

Despite being given the opportunity to lead Washington in the postseason and failing against Columbus, Sakic feels the experience gained by being part of Washington’s successful Stanley Cup run only serves to make him better and, by extension, improve the Avalanche locker room with another voice of success.

“[Championship pedigree] always helps,” Sakic said. “He just won a Stanley Cup. He’s a winner and that’s important. He knows what it takes. He’s in that dressing room and he wants to grind. You don’t win a Stanley Cup if you’re not part of a close team that believes it knows how to win in the playoffs. He had a huge part in getting them in the playoffs. Last two years, he’s had really good years, I know it’s a backup role. But we all feel he’s ready to take the next step and become a number one. We’re excited to have two number one goalies.”

While acquiring Grubauer certainly bolstered their situation in net, the attention shifted to the man they already had and what’s next for him. When asked if Varlamov was still in the team’s plans, Sakic didn’t hesitate.

“Absolutely,” he responded. “We did this to have two goalies. We lost both goalies at certain points of the season. Our guys hung in their pretty good but we’ve got a fairly young team and we want to make sure we have two goalies.”

As the focus shifted away from his new goaltender, Sakic was reminded he still has business to attend to. The Avalanche were happy to take on Orpik’s contract but it’s not one they intend to fully pay out and they certainly aren’t planning on putting the 37-year-old bruising defender in their lineup.

“I talked to him today,” Sakic explained of the Orpik situation. “We’re either going to see if there’s a move or we can buy him out. With our group, we want to stay young and let our kids grow.”

The timeline on their Orpik decision is short by nature as the current buyout window closes on June 30, giving the Avalanche just over a week to finalize a trade. Should they find a taker, they will likely retain salary in the final year of Orpik’s contract in order to better the return they will receive.

“We’re getting through the draft and here shortly we’ll see. We’ll see if there’s something we’re able to work out but if not, I told him out of respect to him the plan is to buy him out and let him be a free agent. I’m sure he’ll have places, a lot of teams that will want to add him to their group.”

After that, the Avalanche waited until their 16th selection came up on the board. They allowed the timer to run out on their selection and nobody at the draft table was getting up to head to the podium, actions usually indicating a trade is in the works. No such conversations, however.

“To be honest, we took our time because, before the draft,  they told us right before we picked, they were going to do something, there was going to be a delay,” Sakic said. “We just waited. They came and told us we were on the clock and waiting and we said “Oh!” We were late but we thought there was gonna be a presentation right before our pick because that’s what they told us.”

Shortly after the timer expired, an NHL official approached the table and asked the Avalanche if they were ready. Upon discovering the miscommunication, the group stood up and made their way to the podium. It was time to pick. And with the pick, they took Czech winger Martin Kaut, a player Sakic insisted was their man.

“He’s who we wanted,” Sakic said simply.

What kind of player is the Avalanche getting in the eyes of the man building the team?

“He plays a complete two-way game,” Sakic started. “We really like that competes. He’s strong on the puck, he’s a pure goal scorer and we just like the upside and what he can bring to our club.”

It was another step towards bolstering the young Avalanche forward corps. We’ll see more from the happy-go-lucky Kaut as the summer goes on but tonight was Sakic’s night. Instead of facing his peers after the embarrassment of a 48-point season that disgraced everyone involved with the franchise, Sakic was able to stand tall and hold court after acquiring more pieces to his young team’s puzzle.