One of the best hockey players in the world is a free agent, meaning any NHL team with Stanley Cup aspirations (and about $5 million to spend) could sign him- think Avalanche, Red Wings, Senators, Stars and Rangers, among others.
One problem: That world-class player, Peter Forsberg, just isn't healthy.
Forsberg, 34, still showed he had something in the tank last year. In 40 games with the Flyers, Forsberg had 11 goals and 29 assists. After being traded to Nashville, he had 15 points in 17 games and two goals and two assists in five playoff games.
So, many scouts were preparing a trip to Finland to watch Forsberg play for Team Sweden in the four-country Kajala Cup, which begins Nov. 8. Forsberg was practicing in Sweden while he tried to overcome offseason surgery from nagging foot problems.
Well, more problems arose Monday, when he left the national team after suffering a setback with his troublesome right foot during practice.
"I don't really know if the [surgically-repaired right] foot is all right yet,"Forsberg told the Swedish paper Aftonbladet. "But this is a positive thing. Otherwise, I wouldn't play."
Forsberg has been trying to test out his foot to determine whether or not he'll be able to make a return to the NHL. Now many wonder if he can handle a 12th NHL season.
Injuries have plagued him in recent years, and he hasn't played more than 60 games in a season since suiting up for 75 in 2002-03 with the Colorado Avalanche, when he scored 29 goals with 77 assists and was named the NHL's MVP.
He is now expected to consult with doctors on his next step.
"If I can't play at all this season, it's probably time to pack up for good,"Forsberg told one paper. "I have to say, I've never been so close to saying my career is over right now." Team Sweden doctor Bjorn Waldeback said Forsberg's injury, which affects both the foot and the ankle, "is pretty complex,"but still lacks a proper diagnosis.
Forsberg apologized to his fans for pulling out of the tournament, but said he didn't want to take part if he could not play at his best.
"I'm not planning on skating around and embarrassing myself like I have for many years,"Forsberg said.
So Forsberg's career is on thin ice, and yet another former superstar's NHL days are over.
Eric Lindros, the 1994-95 NHL MVP, is expected to announce his retirement from the league on Thursday.
Lindros, 34, has been perennially injured, suffering serious knee, wrist, shoulder problems and a punctured lung as well as several concussions throughout his playing days. In fact, he never played a full season.
Lindros scored 372 goals and 865 points in 760 games during his 14 seasons. A free agent, he was limited to 49 games last season with the Dallas Stars and scored a career-low five goals before missing 20 games with a groin injury.
The 6-foot-4, 240-pound center won the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player in 1994-95 and the Lester B. Pearson Award as the most outstanding player in the league as voted by the players.
Interestingly, Lindros, the No. 1 pick in the 1991 NHL draft by Quebec was traded by that franchise (after he vowed never to play there) to the Flyers. Quebec later became the Colorado Avalanche, and one of the players that team received in that blockbuster was Peter Forsberg.
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