He had just finished his first skate on the Pepsi Center ice since rejoining the Avs. That’s when Peter Forsberg was asked if he was risking anything – as in, his legacy – by returning to his NHL roots after sitting out the first four months of the season.
“I don’t know,” Forsberg said, “maybe I’m not very good.”
Right. If Forsberg isn’t very good, heaven help everyone else who laces up ice skates for a living.
His ability level never has been the issue with Forsberg, not in his Hart Trophy days and not at 34 after all those surgeries. His hands remain lightning-quick, and his toughness is intact.
The only issue with Forsberg is the one that refuses to go away: his health.
Sure enough, he already is sidelined with a groin pull, leaving the Avs uncertain when he will be available. As surprises go, the development didn’t rank up there with the Rockies winning 21 out of 22 games last fall.
Truth is, Forsberg’s health, after such a long layoff, is a bigger question mark than ever. It’s not the major injuries — ones that could require another trip to the surgeon — that the Avs need to be concerned with. It’s the nagging ones, the sprains and strains and pulls.
It’s one thing to get in shape by skating with your old team in Sweden. It’s something entirely different to play the game at the NHL level. To say he was an injury waiting to happen would be too strong. Then again, was there anyone surprised by the news of Forsberg’s latest issue?
Maybe the injury should serve as a reality check for everyone involved. Maybe expecting Forsberg to avoid an injury, even a relatively minor one, was unrealistic, given the unusual circumstances.
Foppa’s return has overshadowed every other move the Avs have made in recent weeks, but maybe, in the end, the deal that brought Adam Foote back to Denver will prove to be more significant.
Jim Armstrong: 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com
