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Expect new-look Avs

Changes inevitable with Blake, Sakic, 11 others free agents

Aaron J. Lopez, Rocky Mountain News

Published May 12, 2006 at midnight

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After looking like a Ferrari in the first round of the playoffs, the Colorado Avalanche resembled a Waste Management truck in the second.

What the team looks like after an off-season tuneup is anybody's guess.

Led by captain Joe Sakic and defenseman Rob Blake, no fewer than 13 Colorado players will become free agents as the NHL goes through its first summer shopping spree since adopting a salary cap in August.

Sakic and Blake, whose combined salary exceeded $13 million in 2005-06, head the list of unrestricted free agents, while forward Alex Tanguay and defenseman John-Michael Liles will be restricted.

Others free agents of note include defensemen Brett Clark (unrestricted), Karlis Skrastins (unrestricted) and Ossi Vaananen (restricted) and forwards Jim Dowd (unrestricted), Dan Hinote (unrestricted) and Marek Svatos (restricted).

"With the cap and the new NHL, it's unfortunate, but I don't think you can keep this group together," Hinote said after the Avalanche was eliminated from the Western Conference semifinals Thursday night by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.

While Hinote is one of the most popular players on the team, Sakic and Blake, both 36, will be the top priority for general manager Pierre Lacroix, who saw longtime Avalanche players Peter Forsberg and Adam Foote leave for bigger contracts last summer.

Lacroix figures to have a better chance of retaining his star players this time because he will not have to trim a payroll in excess of $60 million to get under the $39 million salary cap.

The cap also is expected to increase by about 10 percent for 2006-07.

Sakic and Blake have said they want to return. Both said Thursday they will address their contract situation later during the off-season.

"I haven't even thought about that yet," Blake said.

Said Sakic: "Every year's the same. There's always changes on any hockey club."

It would be nothing short of shocking if Sakic leaves. Drafted by the Quebec Nordiques in 1987, he has spent his entire career with the Nordiques/Avalanche franchise.

Barring an obscene bidding war, Blake also is a good bet to return.

After starting slowly after a 17-month layoff because of the lockout, he recorded 14 goals and 37 assists during the regular season and was the Avalanche's most consistent player in the playoffs.

"They've been so great here. I'm sure management will do everything in their power to keep them," Hinote said. "They're such great people and great hockey players. But you can't always do that anymore."

Blake and Sakic were the headliners on a roster loaded with experience but ultimately lacking team speed.

The weakness was exposed by the Mighty Ducks in a four-game sweep that ended with a 4-1 win at the Pepsi Center.

Among those looking particularly vulnerable were 36-year-old forward Pierre Turgeon and 35-year-old defenseman Patrice Brisebois. Both have one year left on their contracts but could be bought out to create cap space.

"It's going to be interesting," Clark said. "It doesn't matter if you win or lose, there's always going to be changes somehow."

Clark, 29, was one of the pleasant surprises for Colorado this season. Paired with Skrastins, he often matched up against the opponents' top line, and he also chipped in with nine goals and 27 assists.

"I'd like to be back here," Clark said. "It's a fun place to play."

Hinote, one of five players remaining on the roster from the 2001 Stanley Cup title team, echoed those sentiments.

"Of course I'd prefer to stay here," he said. "This is my home. I've known nothing else. I know I've been spoiled because of it, but that being the case, I don't want to leave."

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