Forsberg to start rehabilitation program

From Rick Sadowski of the Rocky Mountain News:

It doesn't appear Peter Forsberg will be resuming his NHL career for a while, if at all.

According to a report in the Swedish newspaper Expressen, Forsberg has a muscle problem in his right foot that has been the root of his health troubles in recent seasons and he will need several months of rehabilitation for a chance to salvage his career.

Forsberg became an unrestricted free agent July 1 and would prefer to re-sign with the Avalanche if he's healthy, but the report quoted him as saying he doubts he would be ready for training camp in September.

Read the entire article here.

It sounds like this surgery may be the key to getting Forsberg close to his old self. Even so, there is no guarantee the two-time Stanley Cup champion will return to the NHL.

Sakic still pondering future

From Adrian Dater of the Denver Post:

"I've got some time," the 19-year NHL veteran said before his tee time at the American Century Championship Celebrity-Am on Thursday morning near Lake Tahoe. "I want to make sure I'm 100 percent whichever way I choose.

"I've played the game my whole life. It's a great game; I love the game. Just mentally, right now, I'm still in a state of still deciding. When I know for sure, I can't tell you when that is going to be, but it will be before camp."

Read the entire article here.

Sakic has earned himself some time to determine if he wants to return to the Avs line-up next season or not.

Granato will be head coach of Avalanche next season

Avalanche GM Francois Giguere: "Tony has gained tremendous coaching experience over the last five seasons behind the Avalanche bench. He has great knowledge of our depth chart, a strong admiration for our players and really enjoys working with the organization's young and talented group of athletes."

Here is the full article courtesy of TSN.

My take: This is an interesting move by the Avalanche organization. First off, it always seems risky to move an assistant coach over to head coach in the NHL. The risk is that both the coach and players will have a difficult time adjusting to the new arrangement. In this case, it is especially interesting considering that Granato was actually head coach of the Avalanche from 2002-2004 but was then demoted back to assistant coach. During those years, Granato had far more talent to work with than he will have next year. One of my concerns with Granato back during 02-04 stint was his obsession with mixing and matching his lines all game. It looked like the players were never comfortable with their linemates and had trouble developing chemistry. That being said, I believe Granato does have what it takes to be a good coach in the NHL and obviously the Colorado management regime feels that Granato is ready to take the next step and return to head coaching.