In the summer of 2005, when the Avalanche made only a half-hearted attempt to re-sign Peter Forsberg and he ended up agreeing to a two-year, $11.5 million deal with the Flyers, it wasn’t out of line to cite Forsberg’s continuing injury problems as justification for the Colorado inertia.
The biggest problem with the Avalanche’s four-year, $15 million offer wasn’t the total dollar figure, but its front-loaded construction. His cap number would have been $3.75 million, the per-season average of the deal, but he would have been paid $1.5 million in the first season – making it the worst of both worlds, for team and player. In other words: The Avalanche wanted the offer on the record, while not for one second expecting it to be accepted.
So Forsberg departed, signing with Philadelphia. The short-term nature of the deal was significant, because “Foppa” for years has been considering the NHL somewhat of a year-to-year proposition, although his alleged lack of concern about financial issues has been greatly overstated in some quarters. In the past, when I’ve heard speculation about Forsberg perhaps leaving the NHL to return to Sweden because of his desire to leave North America and play at home, to wind down his career with MoDo, I’ve laughed, because much of this seems to be based on the false assumption that he doesn’t care at all about money – whether in dollars or Swedish krona.
He does. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
But at 33, Forsberg is continuing to show signs of paying a major for his bring-it-on physical style of play, and it now is more conceivable than ever the Swedish center, for the better part of a decade the best player in the world when healthy, will leave the NHL after this season – and for good. That’s more because he isn’t holding up physically, not because he despises playing in the NHL.
Forsberg, who suffered another concussion last week when attempting to return to the lineup following his latest ankle problems, was a possibility to return to the Flyers’ lineup Saturday night against Ottawa. But the point, and the accompanying major question, is: Especially in the cap era when “bad” contracts can’t be shrugged off and can cause major competitive problems, would you make a major financial commitment to Forsberg for next season and beyond?
Last week, Flyers coach John Stevens mused that Forsberg’s travel in his quest to find a skate boot that might lessen his foot and right ankle problems had made him more fatigued and vulnerable.
That seems a reach. But it’s also indicative of the sort of suspicion Forsberg is facing on the health front. At this point, despite all the speculation, he seems virtually untradeable. That could change if he seems healthy as the trading deadline approaches, but even if that happens and he finishes out the season with someone other than the Flyers, he still could be a free agent in the summer.
Just a thought: If he is able to pass a physical, what about accepting a bargain-basement, one-year deal from a franchise in a city where he wants to play – looking at it as a no-lose proposition for both? If he experiences a physical renaissance, his next contract would be a better one, perhaps taking him to age 36 or so. If he can’t hold up, a “bargain” salary wouldn’t severely handicap his 2007-08 franchise under the salary cap.
Yes, I’m thinking a one-year deal with the Avs for next season could be a nothing-to-lose proposition for both.
