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Leopold had hernia surgery Tuesday and is expected to make a full recovery in 10 to 12 weeks. |
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Leopold, 25, was acquired from Calgary in June for forward Alex Tanguay and draft picks. |
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Liles re-signed with the Avalanche on Wednesday, agreeing to a two-year contract. The 25-year-old Liles finished second among Colorado defensemen in points last season with 49 and tied Rob Blake for first in goals (14). |
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Liles was Colorado's eighth pick in the 2000 draft out of Michigan State. He has 24 goals and 59 assists in 161 career games. |
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Clark re-signed with Colorado on Friday, inking a multiyear deal to stay with the Avalanche. The 29-year-old defenseman posted career highs of nine goals and 27 assists in 80 games this season. |
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Skrastins re-signed with Colorado on Friday, inking a multiyear deal to stay with the Avalanche. The 31-year-old defenseman has played in 433 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the NHL and the second longest by a defenseman in the league's history, trailing Tim Horton by 53 games. |
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Skrastins had three goals and 11 assists last season and blocked 207 shots, the second-best total in the NHL. He also played for Latvia at the Olympics in Turin. |
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The Avalanche on Wednesday picked up the option on Laaksonen for next season. |
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Laaksonen signed with Colorado in 2004 and last season had career highs in assists (18) and points (34) while matching a career best with 16 goals. The 32-year-old left wing has 78 goals and 164 points in 442 NHL games. |
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The Avalanche signed Vaananen to a one-year deal Wednesday. |
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Vaananen was acquired from Phoenix in 2004 and played 53 games last year before breaking his leg. At the time of his injury, he led Colorado with a plus-10 rating. The 25-year-old defenseman has 10 goals and 39 assists in 356 career games. |
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Leopold was traded along with two draft picks to the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday in a draft-day deal between Northwest Division rivals. The Flames received left wing Alex Tanguay in return. "I went into the day thinking I wouldn't be traded," said the 25-year-old defenseman. "To be traded within the division was even more unlikely, but I guess that's all part of the business." |
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Along with Leopold, who had two goals and 18 assists in 74 games this past season, Colorado received a second-round pick in Saturday's draft and a conditional second-round selection in either the 2007 or 2008 entry draft. |
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Sakic agreed to a deal Tuesday that will keep him in Colorado for an 18th season. The Avalanche captain, who could have become a free agent, recorded 32 goals and 55 assists this season. The 36-year-old center is behind only Steve Yzerman (22 seasons) for the longest tenure with the same team. "I've been fortunate to play for a great organization surrounded by good teammates for many years in a great hockey market," Sakic said. |
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Sakic ranks 11th on the NHL's all-time list in points (1,489), 15th in assists (915) and 17th in goals (574). |
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May was activated by the Avalanche for Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Anaheim Mighty Ducks on Thursday, due to a groin injury to Steve Konowalchuk. |
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May has played a limited role in two playoff games for the Avalanche this season. He is expected to have an increased role due to Konowalchuk's injury. |
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Konowalchuk is not expected to play for the Avalanche in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals series with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks on Thursday, due to a groin injury. This will be his second consecutive game sidelined with the injury after playing in the first two of the series. The left wing missed 66 games during the regular season after surgery to repain torn ligaments in his right wrist. |
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Konowalchuk has been cleared to play in the Western Conference semifinals after being sidelined since Novemeber with a broken wrist. The Avalanche wing, who returned to practice Wednesday, had 15 points through 21 games when he was hurt on Nov. 21. "It feels like my first game -- probably times 10 because we're in the second round of the playoffs," Konowalchuk said after skating at the team's workout facility in suburban Denver. "The wrist felt great. I'm ready to go." |
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Theodore made 50 saves, including 11 in overtime, in Colorado's 3-2 win over the Dallas Stars on Sunday to clinch the first-round Western Conference playoff series in five games. |
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Theodore, who played just five games with the Avalanche during the regular season following a trade from the Montreal Canadiens on March 8, improved to 4-1 with a 2.64 goals-against average in the postseason. He stopped 141-of-155 shots in the series for a .910 save percentage. |
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Theodore recorded a win in his first start for the Avalanche on Tuesday, making 21 saves in a 6-4 victory over the Coyotes. Theodore was traded from Montreal to Colorado for David Aebischer last month, but he had been sidelined with a broken heel. |
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Theodore is 18-15-5 overall this season with a 3.47 goals-against average and an .879 save percentage. |
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Sakic scored in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Blues to move into a 17th-place tie with Mike Bossy on the career goals list. The Avalanche center scored his 573rd career goal and added an assist in the win. Sakic also extended his point streak to 12 games, two shy of his career high, with nine goals and 14 assists in that span. |
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Sakic has 31 goals and 53 assists in 77 games this season. |
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Theodore participated in his first full practice with the Avalanche Tuesday, which is an important step in his recovery from a broken heel. There is still no timetable for the goaltender's return, but the team has said he'd be ready for the playoffs. Theodore was traded by Montreal in exchange for David Aebischer on March 8. |
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Theodore, who in 2002 became only the sixth goalie to win the Hart Trophy, has struggled this season, going 17-15-5 with a 3.46 goals-against average and .881 save percentage. |
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Brunette scored two third-period goals and added an assist in the Avalanche's 4-3 victory over Anaheim on Tuesday, snapping the Mighty Ducks' six-game winning streak. |
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Brunette has 21 goals and 34 assists in 73 games this season, including four goals and four helpers in his last five games. The 32-year-old Colorado winger has 142 goals and 399 points in 615 career games. |
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Sakic tallied an assist in Sunday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Oilers, extending his point streak to seven games. The Avalanche center has six goals and six assists in that span and will try to continue his strong play Tuesday against the Mighty Ducks. |
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Sakic has 28 goals and 45 assists in 72 games this season |
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Hejduk missed the Avalanche's 3-2 win over the St. Louis Blues on Saturday, due to the flu. The Avalanche play again Sunday against the Edmonton Oilers, and his status is uncertain for the contest. |
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Hejduk has scored 21 goals and 48 points in 63 games for the Avalanche this season. |
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Colorado's Skrastins played in his 421st straight game on Wednesday, moving into second place for consecutive games played by a defenseman. Tim Horton holds the record with a 486-game streak. |
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The Chicago Blackhawks, with virtually no chance to make the playoffs, traded Arnason Thursday to the Ottawa Senators for right winger Brandon Bochenski and a second-round pick in the 2006 draft. Arnason, in his fourth season with Chicago, has scored 13 goals and 41 points in 60 games this season. |