Confirmed with Link: Weekes: The Avs are re-signing Justus Annunen, 2 year, 833k per, 1-way deal

[Pierce Hawthorne]

Very promising but I'll wait to see what he does against stronger teams before getting too excited. There is no doubt though that he should be playing instead of George right now. You can see a huge difference in the players' body language when he is in net.

Definitely true. But Seattle and Utah aren't exactly scrub teams either. Both have playoff expectations this year. Utah in particular have been very good this year.

 

[Pokecheque]

I'm encouraged by what I'm seeing at least. I still have some big reservations but I love the fact that he's not dropping pucks right in the slot area for the opposition to pick up. His rebound control has been shockingly good.

 

[RoyIsALegend]

Most important thing to me is that his lateral movement has appeared to improve over the summer.

Last season, even at his best, he was downright slow post to post and recovering laterally. That has been worked on and it’s showing.

Of course, his strength is his size, taking away angles, and being a sponge who gives away very few rebounds. That last part alone makes defending easier as a team, knowing most shots will be one and done, not the crazy panic style of knocking every puck back into the slot.

Very calm and cool in net. If he has indeed improved his lateral agility, this could be the beginning of a beautiful thing.

 

[EdAVSfan]

Most important thing to me is that his lateral movement has appeared to improve over the summer.

Last season, even at his best, he was downright slow post to post and recovering laterally. That has been worked on and it’s showing.

Of course, his strength is his size, taking away angles, and being a sponge who gives away very few rebounds. That last part alone makes defending easier as a team, knowing most shots will be one and done, not the crazy panic style of knocking every puck back into the slot.

Very calm and cool in net. If he has indeed improved his lateral agility, this could be the beginning of a beautiful thing.

Yup.

And his size gives him the luxury of not needing to challenge shots as much. Keeps him closer to his crease and net, and naturally, less scrambling.

He’s got the tools to be an optimal shot blocker style goalie. That’s a style the Avs can definitely use.

I’d rather a goalie who can stop straight shots but struggle with cross ice one timers rather than the opposite.

 

[The Abusement Park]

Most important thing to me is that his lateral movement has appeared to improve over the summer.

Last season, even at his best, he was downright slow post to post and recovering laterally. That has been worked on and it’s showing.

Of course, his strength is his size, taking away angles, and being a sponge who gives away very few rebounds. That last part alone makes defending easier as a team, knowing most shots will be one and done, not the crazy panic style of knocking every puck back into the slot.

Very calm and cool in net. If he has indeed improved his lateral agility, this could be the beginning of a beautiful thing.

100%. His lateral movement was horrifying to start out and was at a level that would've kept him from being a starter. But he's big enough that if he can get his lateral movement to an decent level there could be something here.

 

[PAZ]

I still wonder what Bednar and the rest of the Avs brass sees in why they've been so patient/hestitant/etc. with Annunen. Even this season, they gave George a huge leash before giving Annunen a start. I have a feeling they know he has a weakness that will be easily exploited if he gets more starts and the book comes out on him.

But I do give him props for the past few games, because if he can keep up this play it's exactly what the Avs need.

 

[EdAVSfan]

I still wonder what Bednar and the rest of the Avs brass sees in why they've been so patient/hestitant/etc. with Annunen. Even this season, they gave George a huge leash before giving Annunen a start. I have a feeling they know he has a weakness that will be easily exploited if he gets more starts and the book comes out on him.

But I do give him props for the past few games, because if he can keep up this play it's exactly what the Avs need.

Even if you ask TMV, he says that Annunen gets pretty lit up in practice.
It’s been 3 games. Let’s see how long he can stay consistent. Every game he plays gives scouts more time to scout weaknesses.

We’ll have to hope he can keep up with adjustments, and maintain some type of consistency