| | Associated Press
DENVER -- The Colorado Avalanche and captain Joe Sakic
avoided salary arbitration Monday, with both sides agreeing to a
one-year contract that will pay Sakic $7.9 million next season.
Avalanche general manager Pierre Lacroix, who confirmed the
contract terms, said failed attempts to negotiate a long-term
contract with Sakic resulted in the last-minute agreement on a
one-year deal, allowing both sides to skip an impending arbitration
hearing in Toronto.
|  | | Joe Sakic has played his entire NHL career with the same franchise, beginning with the Nordiques before they moved to Denver from Quebec in 1995. |
Sakic, 31, a nine-time All-Star who led the Avalanche in scoring
last season, will become an unrestricted free agent after the
2000-01 season.
Lacroix said he senses that Sakic wants to test the free-agent
market at the end of next season.
Asked if that was the case, Sakic said, "No, not necessarily. I
just wanted to have control down the line with what was going to
happen with me. We talked about a long-term deal. We didn't get
that, so we just focused on a one-year deal.
"It's nice we don't have to get on a plane. As of last night,
we were ready to go. This morning, they talked, tried to find a
settlement and got a number that both sides are happy with."
Sakic insisted he was not disappointed with the short-term
solution, saying, "That's how it came down. It will all work
itself out, obviously, next summer."
Sakic has played his entire NHL career with the same franchise,
beginning his career with the Quebec Nordiques before that team
moved to Denver in 1995.
Asked if he hoped to finish his career playing for just one
team, he said, "It definitely would be nice. But we're here for
this year, and we'll see after that."
Lacroix said the difference between this deal and the one-year
deal that Sakic would have gotten from an arbitrator "would be
totally speculative. I don't know what an arbitrator would have
given Joe."
Lacroix was relieved to have the Sakic matter behind him.
"The fact we signed our captain is a big plus," Lacroix said.
"Our goal was to try to get Joe under contract long-term. We had
many discussions with his agent and tried in many different ways.
It didn't work out.
"It was pretty obvious that focusing on a one-year settlement
was the thing to do at the last minute like this. Both parties are
pretty pleased. Now we turn the page and move on to something
else."
Lacroix has had a busy summer, with 11 contracts up for renewal.
"We had three potential arbitration cases, and now the three
are gone," he noted.
Defenseman Jon Klemm was awarded $900,000 by an arbitrator, and
the recently acquired Nolan Pratt was awarded $550,000.
Forward Adam Deadmarsh also was eligible for arbitration but he
did not file. He and the Avalanche agreed to a longterm deal Tuesday.
Forwards Chris Drury and Milan Hejduk also are restricted free
agents this summer but do not qualify for salary arbitration.
Sakic, who had 28 goals and 53 assists in 60 games last year,
became a restricted free agent July 1 and was eligible to receive
an offer sheet from any other NHL team.
The New York Rangers made a bid for Sakic three years ago, but
the Avs matched it and retained their center with a $21 million
contract over three seasons. Sakic received a $15 million signing
bonus, then $2 million a season.
A similar offer was not expected this year after Sakic's
lackluster postseason performance, when he scored just two goals in
17 games. The performance was a far cry from 1996 when he won the
Conn Smythe Trophy while leading Colorado to the Stanley Cup title. | |
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