Rookie goalie sensation Calvin Pickard will remain with the Avalanche through Christmas and is scheduled to start Saturday against the visiting Chicago Blackhawks. But he will serve as Semyon Varlamov’s backup Tuesday night as Colorado’s MVP last season returns from a troubling groin injury, coach Patrick Roy said after Tuesday’s morning skate at the Pepsi Center.
Varlamov has missed 12 of the last 14 games and six of the first 19 with the same the ailment. Pickard has been sensational during his absence while playing ahead of Reto Berra, with Pickard’s save percentage climbing to .939, second highest in the NHL.
Roy said if Varlamov remains healthy and plays to his standards, Pickard will ultimately be returned to Cleveland and play with the Lake Erie Monsters of the American Hockey League. Roy wants the 22-year-old Pickard to continue to play and reassigning him would provide salary relief, because he is on his three-year, two-way entry level contract.
“Varly’s the No. 1 guy here,” Pickard said. “He’s healthy now and he deserves to play because he’s a world-class goalie and he was one of the reasons why they were so good last year. He looks ready and very good in practice.”
Varlamov doesn’t usually talk after morning skates and politely asked to postpone an interview until after the game.
Meanwhile, Roy said fourth-line forward Patrick Bordeleau will miss 8-10 weeks with a fractured kneecap, suffered in his long-awaited return Saturday night in Buffalo. Bordeleau had missed the first 31 games after undergoing offseason back surgery.
Mike Chambers: mchambers@denverpost.com or
