Goaltender Justus Annunen was one of six goaltenders the Colorado Avalanche used last season. The Finnish netminder who looked to be the future turned out not to be.

With the Avalanche

He had graduated from the Colorado Eagles and seemingly been a full-time member of the Avalanche going forward. He played exclusively in the NHL this season after flip-flopping between there and the AHL for years on end.

In 11 games with the Avs, he had a 3.23 goals-against average but a subpar save percentage of .872. However, he did have a positive 6-4 win/loss record while starting in nine games.

Compared to his goaltending teammate Alexandar Georgiev, Annunen had a better start. Both did have their issues and kept forcing Jared Bednar to go back and forth between them to see who would have better starts and run the hot hand from there.

Annunen’s leash was seemingly longer due to his time and development in the organization since he was drafted back in the third round of the 2018 NHL Draft. But at the same time, he was not given many opportunities to thrive.

With the Predators

Eventually, it just became too much to handle for the organization. On November 30, he was dealt alongside a sixth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft to the Nashville Predators. In return, Colorado received Scott Wedgewood.

Annunen would join Finnish duo Juuse Saros in the crease for the Preds. With his own struggles, Annunen found himself playing the most games in a season. He made 23 appearances, starting in 20 games.

He put up nine wins, a goals-against average of 3.17, and another subpar save percentage of .888. But he did find himself with a losing record at 9-11, unlike with the Avs.

While the Predators had a disappointing season after bringing in several star players, Annunen could still be part of the future. He had his moments and is still only 25 years old.

The 6-foot-4 goaltender still has one more year left on his contract with a cap hit of $837,500. Behind Saros, Justus Annunen will look to continue his development and fight for a starting spot on Broadway.