2005 COLORADO AVALANCHE PREVIEW

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2005-06 Colorado Avalanche preview

(MySportsbook.com) - If the Pittsburgh Penguins are a team that benefited from the new collective bargaining agreement, then the Colorado Avalanche are one who were hurt by it.

Does that mean the team's decade-long era as a contender is finished? Probably not, but chances are the Avs will fall back to the pack a bit.

The most notable exit was that of former Hart Trophy winner Peter Forsberg, who signed a free agent deal with Philadelphia. The Avalanche simply didn't have enough cap space to satisfy the superstar and they had to let him walk.

Defenseman Adam Foote also fled, inking a contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets, while Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne, who suffered through disappointing seasons in Denver, are gone as well.

However, the Avalanche still have a decent core remaining on the roster. Joe Sakic is back as captain, while Rob Blake, Milan Hejduk and Alex Tanguay also remain at new head coach Joel Quenneville's disposal.

As far as free agency went, the Avs were relatively quiet due to their cap situation. Pierre Turgeon will provide reliable help at the center position in the wake of Forsberg's departure, while Patrice Brisebois adds some dependability at the blue line.

Gary Bettman wanted parity to be born out of the new CBA, and taking away the ability of teams like Colorado to be free spenders is what he had in mind. Unfortunately, the team's success in recent years hasn't allowed it to build much of a pipeline filled with youngsters, meaning the vets will still have to lead the way.

FORWARDS - Sakic heads into his 17th season, all of which have come with Quebec/Colorado. In 03-04 the future Hall of Famer finished third in the NHL scoring race, posting 33 goals and 54 assists for 87 points. While Forsberg might have been the team's best raw talent, Sakic was and is its heart and soul.

It seems as if Tanguay has been in the league forever, as he made his debut during the 1999-2000 campaign. However, he is only going to be 26 in November and we probably have not yet seen his best. In 03-04 he posted a career-high 79 points (25g, 54a) and was a plus-30. Throughout his career he has been able to sit back as a secondary scoring option, but this season he will have to bring it up a level as a top guy.

Hejduk, meanwhile, has put up numbers worthy of a top option before, most notably with his 50-goal, 48-assist season in 02-03. He was the NHL's top sniper that season, and has reached the 30-goal mark four times during his career. The onus will be on him to play at a star level without having a guy like Forsberg centering his line.

The remainder of the Colorado forward corps is primarily made up of veterans who once were productive or have been mid-level players. Turgeon is still a solid second-line option who can pile up assists, but he now 36 years old. Steve Konowalchuk is a legitimate 20-goal guy, while Antti Laaksonen will be a valuable third-line addition.

As NHL groups of forwards go, the Avs will have a respectable one. But don't expect anything close to the depth of a few years back.

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DEFENSE - Blake did not play during the lockout, and the year off was probably a good thing for his aging bones. Now 35, he remains among the NHL's premier blueliners, but at this point you don't want him out there for every key situation. Without Foote, who was the team's 1B defenseman, Blake might still have to log anchor minutes.

Brisebois will help plug the hole, as will veterans Curtis Leschyshyn and Bob Boughner. Boughner will especially be counted on to replace some of the toughness that left with Foote.

One player to keep an eye on is youngster John-Michael Liles, who posted 10 goals and 24 assists in 79 games as a rookie. He is the kind of offensive defenseman who can flourish with the relaxed rules, and he will provide another option to Blake in terms of running the power play.

GOALTENDING - David Aebischer had a tough task replacing Patrick Roy in net, but he answered the call with rave reviews. He went 32-19-9 with a 2.09 goals- against average in 62 appearances (61 starts) in 03-04.

Now the question has to be asked whether or not he can repeat the success over the course of another season.

Backup Tommy Salo has retired and the young Phil Sauve was traded to Calgary in the offseason. That leaves rookie Peter Budaj as the likely understudy. Budaj went 29-25-2 for the Hershey Bears of the AHL last season.

WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE - Quenneville will have his work cut out for him this season, as this squad hardly resembles the one that was among the elite in the Western Conference for all those years. Sakic and Blake are taking up a huge portion of the team's allowance under the salary cap, so it's up to them to lead the way. The team lacks young stars as well, which could prove troublesome in the years to come. Of course, don't look for the Avs to falter out of the playoff picture. They will still contend in the West, but 100 points might be a tough plateau to reach. Parity is what Bettman wanted, and it's what he will get.

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