Joe Sakic, his agent said today, is still thinking it over.
Sakic, the Avalanche’s longtime captain who will turn 39 next month, still has not made up his mind whether to return for a 20th NHL season, Winnipeg, Manitoba-based agent Don Baizley said.
“Joe has not told me of any decision yet, and I assume that means he hasn’t told the team anything yet,” Baizley said.
The wait is turning into an anxious one for the Avs and their fans. The team would like to know of his decision as soon as possible, with both the NHL draft and the free-agency period both happening within two weeks.
Sakic, who did not return calls for comment, has kept a low profile of late. He has been with his family at his Denver home of late, but is expected to travel with his family later this week to Croatia, where Avs teammate Marek Svatos will be getting married. Croatia is where Sakic’s parents are from as well.
Sakic also is on the current accepted player list for the American Century Golf Championship July 8-13 in Lake Tahoe, Nev. — a celebrity tournament. He also will host his 11th annual golf tournament starting Aug. 28 at Sanctuary Golf Course to benefit the Food Bank of the Rockies.
Baizley said there have not and won’t be contract talks of any kind with the Avalanche until and if he decides to come back. He also said he does not know any current playing intentions of another high-profile Avs client, Peter Forsberg.
One former teammate of Sakic’s, Claude Lemieux, would advise him to keep playing if he were his agent.
“He can still play at a high level. I’m sure Joe is thinking about things like how he might want to spend more time with his kids, and that he’s made a ton of money and things like that, that might make him think it’s time to go,” Lemieux said. “But the trouble is, after about a year or so, you really, really miss it, especially if you think you could have still been a good player. I think a lot of players will tell you they wished they’d kept playing if they’d had the chance. There’s still going to be lots of time for the family in the future.”
Most of the Avalanche’s staff will travel to Ottawa later this week, in preparation for this weekend’s draft. The team does not have a first-round pick this year, having traded it to Columbus for Adam Foote. The team is currently slated to get its first pick at the No. 50 spot.
Adrian Dater: 303-954-1360 or adater@denverpost.com
