"We can't put him in the net if it's just going to be temporary, short-term [solutions]. So we have to come up with a way to make sure he's either playing, or he's doing the right things so he is put in a position to be able to play a lot of games," he said. "I would say that [surgery] could be an option, yes."
Fellow goalies Calvin Pickard and Spencer Martin will backstop the Avalanche moving forward.
The 24-year-old Pickard has set career highs this season in games started (21), consecutive starts (7) and contests played (24), while posting a 3.01 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage during that time.
Martin, 21, made his NHL debut on Saturday in San Jose, turning aside 27 shots in the 3-2 overtime loss. The Oakville, Ontario, native and NHL rookie followed that up with his second start in Monday's 5-2 loss to the Sharks. He denied 21 pucks sent his way.
A Samara, Russia, native, Varlamov had been in and out of lineup for much of the 2016-17 season and has missed 12 of the team's last 18 games due to his lingering groin injury.
