The Colorado Avalanche appear to have made their decision of which goaltender to protect in June's expansion draft.

According to Adrian Dater of BSN Denver, the Avalanche will protect veteran Semyon Varlamov and expose 24-year-old Calvin Pickard to the Vegas Golden Knights.

Varlamov, who will turn 29 later this month, is recovering from season-ending hip surgery and Dater notes his progress could change the decision, but that scenario is unlikely. He last played on Jan. 17 and finished the season with a career-worst 3.38 goals against average and an .898 save percentage. He posted a 6-17 record on 23 starts.

He signed through the 2018-19 season with an annual cap hit of $5.9 million.

Pickard made 48 starts for the Avalanche this season, posting a 15-31-2 record with a 2.98 goals against average and a .904 save percentage. He was a second-round pick of the Avalanche in 2010 and has started 74 games over the past three seasons. Pickard is owed $1 million next season and will then become a restricted free-agent.

The Avalanche finished last in the NHL this season with 48 points in 82 games. The team will own a 17.9 per cent chance of picking first overall in the entry draft.