February 11 2011 Last updated at 01:45 PM ET
The NHL's trade deadline is just a little over two weeks away, and the Colorado Avalanche may have landed an impact player -- if all goes according to storybook plans, and as we all know, that's how everything works, all the time -- without having to give up anything in return. Yes, Peter Forsberg is set to make his return to the NHL on Friday night when the Avalanche visit the Columbus Blue Jackets. It will be his first game in the NHL since 2007-08, when he tallied a goal and 13 assists in nine regular season games, as well as a goal and four assists in seven postseason games with the Avalanche.
According to beat writer Adrian Dater of the Denver Post, Forsberg will skate on the left wing of a line that will also consist of veteran Milan Hejduk and second-year standout center Matt Duchene. It has to bring back some fond memories for Avs fans as Hejduk and Forsberg were critical cogs in the Avalanche machine of the late 1990's and early 2000's when they were one of the elite teams in the NHL, competing for the Stanley Cup nearly every season, winning it during the 2000-01 campaign.
Forsberg was not playing professionally in any league this season, but spent the previous two years playing in his native Sweden, while also representing his country at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. As they did during his NHL career, injuries limited Forsberg during his most recent experience in Sweden, playing just 26 games over the past two years.
Now that we know the answer to when Forsberg is returning, the next question is how much can he really give the Avs? He is, after all, 37 years old and hasn't played in the NHL in three years.
The Avalanche are looking to snap a five-game losing streak and stay in the ridiculously tight Western Conference playoff race.
In his prime, Forsberg was a physically dominant two-way player that could score goals, make plays, and be a menace to opposing teams. He also won a scoring title and an MVP award and made six All-Star games. If he can stay healthy and withstand the physical toll, he should be able to provide a spark. His issue over the past couple of years hasn't been performance (he's always produced) but actually being able to stay on the ice.
The Avalanche enter the weekend's action averaging over three goals per game, good enough for sixth-best in the league, but are near the bottom of the Western Conference standings with 56 points, seven out of the eighth and final playoff spot. The Blue Jackets, their opponent on Friday, is one point ahead of them.
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