Sakic decides to return for one more year with Avs

Hockey Betting Lines

08/27/2008 - Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joe Sakic has decided to play at least one more season and on Wednesday re-signed with the Colorado Avalanche.

Sakic had been deliberating about whether to return for a 20th NHL season. He has inked a one-year deal, financial terms of which weren't disclosed.

"Ultimately it came down to the fact that I still enjoy playing and competing," said Sakic in a release by the club. "I'm comfortable with my conditioning and my overall health. I'm ready for the start of camp and am looking forward to the upcoming season."

Sakic played in just 44 games last season because of groin problems and subsequent hernia surgery. He posted career lows with 13 goals and 40 points.

The 39-year-old native of British Columbia has spent his entire career with the Colorado franchise. He was selected with the 15th overall pick of the 1987 draft by the Quebec Nordiques and made his NHL debut in 1988.

The Nordiques moved to Denver for the start of the 1995-96 season and, as the Avalanche, the franchise won the first of its two Stanley Cup titles. The other came in the spring of 2001.

In 1,363 NHL regular-season games, Sakic has compiled 623 goals and 1,006 assists for 1,629 points. He ranks eighth all-time on the NHL list in points, 11th in assists and 14th in goals.

"Our entire organization is very excited to have Joe back for another season," said Avalanche general manager Francois Giguere. "As the only captain of the Avalanche, his record of achievement speaks for itself. Having him return is great for our franchise and community, but also for the game of hockey."

In 172 playoff games, Sakic has 84 goals and 104 assists for 188 points. He was the Conn Smythe winner as playoff MVP in 1996.

Sakic also won the Hart Trophy as regular season MVP in 2001, earned First- Team All-Star status three times and was selected to 11 NHL All-Star Games.

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Big Ten Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa

Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.

Should be in:

Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?

Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.

Work left to do:

Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.

Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.

Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.

Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.

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