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Avs hoping to pick up where they left off

Rick Sadowski, Rocky Mountain News

Published August 30, 2007 at midnight

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Are you ready for a little . . . hockey?

The Avalanche, coming off its first nonplayoff season, will open training camp Sept. 13, when 30 veteran players report to the Pepsi Center for medical and physical tests.

They'll take part in on-ice sessions Sept. 14-15 at the South Suburban Family Sports Center in Centennial, along with players selected from the rookie camp that goes from Sept. 8-11 at the same site.

The Avalanche will play the annual Burgundy and White Game on Sept. 16, at the Air Force Academy's Cadet Ice Arena and kick off a six-game preseason schedule the next night against Phoenix in Glendale, Ariz.

"I think everybody is excited," general manager Francois Giguere said Thursday. "The players I've talked to are energized. I think everybody wants to prove that this team is closer to being the team that we saw in the last 20 or so games last year."

The Avalanche missed the playoffs by one point but finished with a 15-2-2 run, and Giguere was able to land several free agents this summer, including prized left wing Ryan Smyth and defenseman Scott Hannan.

Giguere indicated he didn't anticipate any more signings. That would seem to rule out the possibility of bringing back a free agent such as Peter Forsberg, who underwent hernia surgery this week and hasn't said whether he will play in the NHL in 2007-08.

"That doesn't mean you don't revisit things moving forward," Giguere said. "But, right now, we like the roster and the competition with some of the new guys. We want to give them a chance to have a realistic shot to compete for some jobs."

One of the more intriguing story lines will involve the competition between goalies Peter Budaj and Jose Theodore.

Budaj, 24, finished the 2006-07 season as the Avalanche's No. 1 goalie. He started 39 of the final 46 games and ended with a 31-16-6 record with three shutouts, a 2.68 goals-against average and a .905 saves percentage.

Theodore, 30, is entering the final year of a contract that will pay him $6 million — $5.3 million more than Budaj. The former Hart and Vezina Trophy winner went 13-15-1 with a 3.26 average and .891 save percentage.

"We'll have a healthy competition there," Giguere said. "The difference between this year and last year is we feel a lot more confident in what Peter can bring to the table. He's proven that he can handle the workload.

"I think Jose is going to surprise a lot of our fans. He's been an elite athlete, and I think he wants to prove to everybody that he is (still) an elite athlete."

Theodore underwent minor arthroscopic knee surgery Wednesday to clean debris and relieve some inflammation.

"Based on what's been told to me, he should be on the ice when camp opens, maybe not in full goalie gear, but he'll be skating," Giguere said. "We're anticipating that he'll be available for the last week of preseason, but it's early in the rehab process."

Avalanche camp

• When: Sept. 14-15. Workouts, 9 a.m. to noon, are free to the public on a first-come, first-served basis.

• Where: South Suburban Family Sports Center, 6901 S. Peoria St. (just south of Arapahoe Road), Centennial.

• Burgundy/White Game: The annual intrasquad scrimmage is at 11 a.m. Sept. 16 at Cadet Ice Arena, Air Force Academy.