DALLAS – The Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club announced today that the team has signed goaltender Philipp Grubauer to a three-year contract through the 2020-21 season. Colorado acquired the 26-year-old netminder in a trade with the Washington Capitals on Friday night.

"He just won a Stanley Cup. He's a winner, and that's always important. He knows what it takes," said Avalanche Executive Vice President & General Manager Joe Sakic following Friday’s trade. "He was just in a dressing room that went through a grind. You don't win a Stanley Cup if you're not part of a close team that believes and knows how to win in the playoffs. And he had a huge part in getting them into the playoffs. He's had two really good years in a backup role, and we all feel he's ready to take the next step and become a No. 1. We're excited to have two No. 1 goalies."

Grubauer appeared in 35 regular-season games for the Stanley Cup champion Capitals, posting a 15-10-3 record while leading the team in goals-against average (2.35), save percentage (.923) and shutouts (3). Grubauer’s 35 games and 15 wins were career highs, while his three shutouts tied a personal best from 2016-17. He led all NHL goaltenders in both goals-against average (1.93) and save percentage (.937%) from Nov. 24 until the end of the season (min. 20 games). The 6-foot-1, 191-pound netminder went on to start Washington’s first two games of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs (0-1-0, 4.57 GAA).