Avalanche would like a decision from Sakic

By Rick Sadowski, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published June 2, 2008 at 6:49 p.m.

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Photo by Associated Press

Joe Sakic, who will turn 39 on July 7, is contemplating whether to return for a 20th NHL season, all with the Nordiques/Avalanche franchise.

Avalanche general manager Francois Giguere said Monday he's getting a bit antsy while waiting to hear if Joe Sakic plans to return for another season.

"We're getting to the point now, you're getting a little more anxious than we were a month ago," he said after an NHL general managers meeting to discuss possible rules changes. "I would anticipate that we'll hear from him shortly.

"I think he's earned the right to take his time, and I'm sure he'll do right by us. I'm not worried about that."

Giguere would like to know Sakic's intentions before July 1, when the league's free agency period begins.

"But I know that if I push Joe, nothing good would come out of it," he said. "I think if I push him, he's going to say, 'I won't be playing.' So it's not in my interest to push him. If I push him and he's not ready yet to make a decision, he'll say, 'Well, if you need an answer, the answer's no.'

"I don't want a 'no' answer. I'm trying to get a 'yes' answer."

Another popular Avalanche forward, Peter Forsberg, has returned to Sweden to visit with a doctor to determine if he physically can handle another season.

"One of the things that he's kind of made clear is, he wants to play - if he thinks he can play - a full season or close to a full season," Giguere said. "If he thinks that the best he can do is half a season or something like that, I don't think he's going to want to do that."

Giguere and assistant general manager Greg Sherman have begun negotiating with some of the team's unrestricted free agents, but he wouldn't discuss specifics.

Forsberg, Sakic, Andrew Brunette, Adam Foote, John-Michael Liles, Kurt Sauer and Jose Theodore are among those eligible.

Don Meehan, Theodore's representative, told the Rocky last week the goalie would prefer to remain with the Avalanche.

"In a perfect world, if we could get the whole team back, we'd try," Giguere said. "I don't know how realistic that is. The next 30 days, there's going to be a lot of discussions with the agents to try and get this group together and know what's left to be done after July 1."

Giguere eventually will get together with new coach Tony Granato to compile a list of candidates for the team's vacant assistant's position.

Among the rules changes proposed: penalizing a player in icing situations if his intent is to hit the player he is competing with instead of going for the puck; and starting power plays in the offensive zone regardless of where the penalty is called or when the whistle is blown to stop play.

• June 2, 2008

  10:28 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  mmmark217 writes:

  If Super Joe decides to retire, the Av's are in Big Trouble. I've been watching the Av's since they came to this city and been watching and playing hockey since the late 70's and I can tell you that the Av's need some help. Jose "three or four" is an avg goalie at best and Budaj is not ready to replace him. And the entire team was completely outclassed by the hated red wings.

• June 3, 2008

  7:52 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  bxwatso writes:

  Even though Joe is not the superstar he was a few years ago, the numbers don't lie: he is the best offensive player they have and a real team player. The only upside to his retirement would be the opportunity to really focus on some super new talent: Jones, Wolski, and Stastny. Those guys are great.

  Last night's game further supports the truth that there is no substitute for young talent.

• June 3, 2008

  8:31 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  dwschulze writes:

  With or without Joe Sakic, the Avs need to rebuild. They have good young talent in Stasny and Volsky, but they need more.

  I hope they keep Adam Foote and Rousellon Solet (sorry for butchering his namne) to stabilize the defense. If Forsberg, Sakic, and Theodore retire or leave they will have to go into the free agent market to bring in a journeyman all star caliber player, but then focus on rebuilding.

  The problem is that Giguerre has not shown that he can rebuild a team. He was great at renting players for the playoffs, but rebuilding takes purpose and some patience.

• June 3, 2008

  12:45 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  BWilliams writes:

  I agree with all 3 previous comments. Here is my recipe for success for the Avs:

  1. Define the basic system you want to play. Define the attributes of success for each player position.
  2. Build a "draft and player development" department to look for players with natural ability that fit the model. Develop that talent via the Lake Erie Monsters.
  3. Coach the system to the Nth degree at the pro level. Any player who doesn't want to buy in should be traded.
  4. Get a coach who will work within the system, but who can be creative enough and opportunistic enough to recognized the other team's weaknesses and exploit them. I don't think TG is that coach.
  5. Use free agency to bolster major deficiencies in the short run. Use the rent-a-player model to push your team to the next level if you think you can compete for the cup. Don't build your team with free agents, otherwise you end up paying $7 mill a year to have a guy sit the bench (Theo) or play on the 3rd line (Smyth).
  6. Every year review your style, your players, your coaching staff and adjust where necessary.

  Do those things and in about 5-10 years we'll have a team of Detroit's quality. Take any short cuts and we'll always be struggling to get past the 2nd round.

• June 3, 2008

  4:48 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  GJrodburner writes:

  Before the Aves can turn the corner in determining a style of play, build a scouting system similar to the 'wings (or even say the Pens), or go through with parts 3-6 BWilliams, I think that ownership is going to have to decide how much money it really wants to put back into the team first.

  This is exactly why I don't think you can really do justice by owning more than one team in a professional setting. Kronke has to consistently decide between the Nuggs and the Aves (when he decides on "gigantic money to spend"). Granted, it's a free-enterprise world we live in, so Stan can own not just the Nuggs, Aves, Rapids, and Mammoths, but any other pro team he would like to own (within by-laws and charter agreements between other "leagues"), still the question I keep coming up with is this, how can he do "right" to all?

  I would love to see this team take the scouting way more seriously than it currently does. It would be refeshing to find out that the Aves could put together a pipeline from the Czech Republic, Finnland, Sweden, or Russia and plug that talent into a single season of minor league work and have it ready for the following season or during the same season; but I find that bringing talent up from the minors works if you can coordinate that "up and comer" with a parent club that is in tune with its minor league affiliate.

  I'll put the question out there to the rest of you Aves fans, "do you think that the parent club ties into its minor system when those "newbies" hit the N.H.L. and put on the Aves sweater?"

• June 3, 2008

  5:05 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  BWilliams writes:

  I wonder about Kronke, but if he runs his business like a normal person, then he'd make each enterprise responsible for their own profit and loss. And I think the Avs have been spending close to their salary cap every year which is a good sign. I'm certainly not impressed with the front office Kronke put together for the nuggets though. Decision and responsibility by committee is taking its toll on that team for sure.

  Regarding the Avs minor league system, I know they bought the Lake Erie Monsters so that they could have sole say in the development of players. I think previously they were sharing a minor league team with another NHL team. So at least that is a step in the right direction.

• June 4, 2008

  7:20 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  R8R_H8R writes:

  "Before they can determine what style to play"? They've made it clear what style they want to play. Several times. They've said they want to return to what they were, very offensive oriented.

• June 6, 2008

  3:15 p.m.

  Suggest removal

  dietpepsi writes:

  GET RID OF jOSIVE THREEORFOUR. we don't need a confidenceLESS newbie in the net. AND ALSO DO AWAY WITH BUTTAGE. WHY EMBAREASS US ALL WITH HIS SILLY NED FLANDERTH FETISCH??!!

  and: DID ANYBODY ELSE GET ALL CONFUSED WATCHING THE dETROIT HOME GAMES? FOR AWHILE I KEPT ON THINKING THEY WERE PLAYING IN THE [DIET]PEPSI CENTER DUE TO ALL THE OVERLY EMPOTIONAL REDWING "FANS"!!

• June 9, 2008

  9:21 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  Retread writes:

  Love watching Sakic, Foresberg, and Foote play together again, however the Avs need to build a team with some young talent. Start to build it now, or they will be in the same boat next season, trying to pull talent out of the old age home at the end of the season..

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