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Avalanche Hire Former Players to Front Office

The Colorado Avalanche will retain a pair of Stanley Cup champions in new front office roles.

Nick Horwat

The Colorado Avalanche have hired former players Andrew Cogliano and Pavel Francouz to their front office staff.
The Colorado Avalanche have hired former players Andrew Cogliano and Pavel Francouz to their front office staff. / © Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports© Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports

The Colorado Avalanche have made multiple additions to their front office staff that come with familiarity with the organization. The Avalanche announced that recently retired players Andrew Cogliano and Pavel Francouz will remain with the organization in new roles.

Cogliano has been hired as a special assistant to the general manager, and Francouz will join the scouting staff as a goaltending scout.

Cogliano joined the Avalanche during the 2021-22 season and was a key piece of their Stanley Cup run that year. The veteran forward played the final 172 games of his NHL career in an Avalanche sweater.

Before retiring at the end of the 2023-24 season, Cogliano logged 1,294 games over 17 seasons with various teams. Drafted 25th overall by the Edmonton Oilers in 2005, Cogliano finished his career with 190 goals and 274 assists for 464 points.

Cogliano is known for his stability in the lineup and rarely missing games. To start his career, he appeared in 830 consecutive games, the fourth-longest streak in NHL history. A suspension in 2018 ended the streak, which lasted 11 seasons.

On top of the Avalanche and Oilers, Cogliano also played with the Anaheim Ducks, Dallas Stars, and San Jose Sharks.

In his new role, Colgliano will work various roles around the Avalanche front office and closely with the scouting departments and their AHL affiliate.

Former goaltender Francouz played only parts of four seasons in the NHL, all with the Avalanche. In 73 career regular season games between the pipes, he picked up a 44-21-6 record. Between 2019-20 and 2021-22 (he did not play in 2020-21) Francouz picked up a 36-12-5 record.

During the Avalanche 2022 Stanley Cup run, Francouz went a perfect 6-0 in seven appearances.

Both Cogliano and Francouz were with the Avalanche in 2022 to bring the franchise's third Stanley Cup. Winning in 2022 is a big reason why they decided to stick around in Colorado.

“I think when you win a championship with a team, you feel a lot of passion and you have a lot of heart for being there,” Cogliano said.

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Nick Horwat
NICK HORWAT

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