Avalanche's Philipp Grubauer in no rush to discuss contract extension

With Jordan Binnington signing an extension and taking himself off the UFA market, Avalanche netminder Philipp Grubauer might be the top goalie set to hit free agency this summer.  With the season he’s having, Mike Chambers of the Denver Post suggests that the 29-year-old could be in a position to double his current $3.33M AAV over the offseason, a price tag that Colorado might not be able to afford.  With a 1.69 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage in 27 games this season, he’s first in the league in GAA and second in SV%, so even in this market, doubling his price tag isn’t unreasonable.  For his part, Grubauer isn’t worried about his contract status:

"We are so busy, and my main focus lays on Vegas and stopping the puck. Everything else is going to take care of itself. If it’s now or in a week or a couple months or like after the season — I don’t think there is any rush to do that right now."

Grubauer is one of several key Avalanche players in need of a new contract for next season, joining wingers Gabriel Landeskog and Brandon Saad (UFA) plus defenseman Cale Makar (RFA).  With more than $56M in commitments for next season already, per CapFriendly, they won’t be able to afford to keep them all.

More from the West:

• Still with the Avalanche, winger Matt Calvert is now listed as week-to-week, relays Peter Baugh of The Athletic. The 31-year-old missed Thursday’s victory over Vegas with an undisclosed injury, the latest issue in a season that has seen him miss time due to two separate upper-body issues.  Another pending UFA, Calvert has just three assists in 18 games this season and won’t be able to command anywhere near his current $2.85M AAV on the open market.
• The Department of Player Safety announced that Coyotes center Nick Schmaltz has been fined the maximum $5,000 for a boarding incident partway through the third period on Sharks defenseman Radim Simek. Meanwhile, Simek is questionable to play in Saturday night’s rematch as a result of the hit, notes Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News.