One day after he was released from jail, Semyon Varlamov will be in goal for the Colorado Avalanche.
“I just feel it’s the right decision,” Colorado coach Patrick Roy said, as per NHL.com. “Why wait? [Varlamov] looks good this morning. We’re all aware what happened and we just feel that he’s our guy.
“We have a lot of confidence in him as a goalie. We feel that it’s good for him to play [Friday].”
The Denver Post reports that Varlamov, arrested on Wednesday on allegations of domestic violence, will be starting on Friday when the Avs take on the Stars in Dallas.
Varlamov, 25, was arrested on Wednesday on allegations of domestic violence and spent the evening in jail after turning himself in to police.
Varlamov’s bond was set at $5,000 and met on Thursday afternoon, at which time he was released from custody. In Thursday’s court ruling, Varlamov was given permission to travel with the Avalanche but also had a restraining order filed.
The Russian netminder had been scheduled to start in Dallas prior to his arrest. In last game, a 3-2 Colorado win over Winnipeg on Sunday, Varlamov stopped 23 of 25 shots, pushing his record on the season to 7-1-1.
The decision to start Varlamov under these new circumstances, though, will likely come under scrutiny. On Friday, Denver Post columnist Mark Kiszla wrote that Colorado should keep Varlamov off the ice/away from the team until his legal matters are sorted out.
UPDATE
As per ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun, here’s is NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly’s statement on the Varlamov matter:
“At this point, we are monitoring the developing legal situation and do not intent to intervene in that process. There may come a point in time where we feel it is either necessary or appropriate to take a different approach, but that’s not where we are right now.
“We are and will remain in close contact with the Club, and will see how the underlying facts unfold.”