MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Ridiculed for mediocre or just plain awful play his first two seasons in Colorado, goalie Jose Theodore turned his career around and was the Avalanche's best player in the second half of the season.

Even his meltdown in the playoffs against Detroit -- he was pulled in three of four games and had a 6.92 goals-against average and .826 save percentage -- couldn't detract from his stellar play down the stretch and against Minnesota in the opening round. Theodore was ill for the first two games against the Red Wings and never did get untracked after that.

"It started off on the wrong foot, being sick the first couple of games," he said. "I'm never going to use injuries as excuses, but we did lose some key players and I started off with the flu. It seemed we just couldn't get the rhythm back."

Theodore went 21-13-2 with a 2.24 goals-against average and .919 save percentage in his final 37 regular-season starts, when he allowed two goals or fewer 23 times.

He was even better against the Wild, stopping 188 of 200 shots in six games for a 1.88 average and .940 save percentage. He stole Game 5, a 3-2 win, with 38 saves when the Avalanche could have been run out of the Xcel Energy Center.

"I really do think I have more experience now, and I feel better than I did a couple years back," said Theodore, who won the Hart and Vezina Trophies with Montreal in 2002. "I've been in a lot of different situations, tough situations, and when you do bounce back they always say it makes you a stronger person, and it did. I'm happy with where I'm at right now.

"I knew what I was capable of doing and it was just a matter of time. I knew I always put the work in, and usually the work does pay off. I had a lot of people that didn't doubt it as well, and it's always nice to have people behind you.

"After that, like I always say, you look at the people that did doubt you and you say, 'You were wrong. I'm a goalie that can make a difference.'"

MOST DISAPPOINTING PLAYER
Center Tyler Arnason, in the first year of a two-year, $3.35 million contract, had 10 goals and 21 assists in 70 games while skating on the third line. Much more was expected after Arnason had 16 goals and 33 assists in 82 games in 2006-07. There were too many times when Arnason was invisible during games. He had three goals and two assists in the final 26 regular-season games and two goals and three assists in 10 playoff games.

FREE AGENT FOCUS
This is going to be general manager Francois Giguere's busiest summer yet. Thirteen players are eligible for unrestricted free agency, including center Joe Sakic; left wings Andrew Brunette and Peter Forsberg; defensemen Adam Foote, John-Michael Liles and Kurt Sauer; and goalie Jose Theodore.

"You really have to gauge who you give long-term contracts to," Giguere said.

If Sakic chooses to return for a 20th NHL season, Giguere said: "I'll be the first one cheering. Joe needs to take some time and see if that's the right thing for him and his family. He's been a great captain, a great ambassador for this organization and for this community."

Sakic will either sign another one-year contract or retire, but the feeling is he will be back. Foote wants to return and is likely to be re-signed because the Avalanche gave up a first-round draft pick to get him from Columbus at the trading deadline. Theodore probably will receive an offer, but for considerably less than the $6 million he was paid this season.

"The way the season ended is very disappointing, and you need some time," Sakic said. "I'll discuss it with my family and we'll see where we go."

All bets are off for Brunette, Forsberg, Liles and Sauer. Brunette made $1.6 million and would like to return, but he'll be 35 in August and the Avalanche might be looking to get younger. Forsberg always takes his time deciding what he wants to do, and the Avalanche might think he's just too brittle to bring back for another year. He missed three of four games of the Red Wings series with groin problems he said are caused by instability with a chronically aching foot.

"I've got to totally figure out the foot problem first, and then I have to make a decision after that," Forsberg said. "I'd like to continue to play, but it's getting to a point where if it's like this, I go out on the ice and I pull groins. If it doesn't get solved, that will be it, but we'll see what happens."

Liles, 27, will receive plenty of interest from other NHL teams and could be the subject of a bidding war; he made $1.4 million this season. Sauer, 26, was a bargain at $719,000 and could find his way to his home state of Minnesota.

Six players are eligible for restricted free agency, the most prominent of the group being right wing Marek Svatos and left wing Wojtek Wolski. Both will be re-signed.

PLAYER NOTES

--G Jose Theodore was practically unbeatable in shootouts. The Avalanche went 6-1 in shootouts with Theodore in the crease. He stopped 22 of 28 shots overall and owns a 9-2 career record in shootouts, turning aside 33 of 40 attempts.

--C Joe Sakic had the fewest points of his 19-season NHL career with 40, but he played in only 44 games and still finished fifth on the team in scoring. He needed surgery for a hernia and missed 38 games from Dec. 1 to Feb. 22. Sakic finished the season ranked eighth in career points (1,629), 11th in assists (1,006) and 14th in goals (623).

--LW Andrew Brunette absorbs bumps and bruises just like every other player in the NHL, but he just keeps rolling along. Brunette played in all 82 regular-season games for the fifth consecutive season. He's the league's active ironman, having played in 453 consecutive games. He has missed one game in the past six seasons.

--G Peter Budaj will play for Slovakia in the World Hockey Championships.

--LW Jaroslav Hlinka will play for the Czech Republic in the World Hockey Championships.

--D Ruslan Salei will play for Belarus in the World Hockey Championships.

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