The Colorado Avalanche surprised a lot of people with their first round series win over the Minnesota Wild, but their season ended at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings in dominating fashion. Colorado added key players at the trade deadline, but that wasn’t enough to help the Avalanche to the finals. Here’s a recap of the season that was in Colorado.

After missing the playoffs a season ago, the Avalanche weren’t expected to make a strong push for the playoffs this season. The young players mixed with veterans and the return of two former Avalanche players fueled Colorado’s playoff drive. Not only did they make the playoffs, they made a strong push for the division title, but fell short to the Minnesota Wild.

The Avalanche made some major changes in the off-season. Colorado said good-bye to Patrice Brisebois, Ken Klee, and Brett McLean, and welcomed Ryan Smyth and Scott Hannan to the Mile High city. Colorado also signed Peter Forsberg, who spent his first nine seasons with the Avalanche/Nordiques organization before signing with Philadelphia in the summer of 2005, on February 25 to a one-year contract. The Avalanche also acquired a former player when they traded for defenseman Adam Foote from Columbus.

The season started off with mixed opinions on who the starting goaltender should be. There was Peter Budaj, who spent only two seasons in the NHL, and Jose Theodore, who the Avalanche acquired in 2006 in hope of replacing Patrick Roy. Budaj won out and started the season as Colorado’s first stringer, but gave way to Theodore down the stretch. Theodore returned to form with 28 wins and a 2.44 GAA; his best numbers since the 2003-04 season.

The offense was pretty strong throughout the season, but had to spend nearly three months without superstar Joe Sakic because of hernia surgery. Sakic appeared in just 44 games, but still finished fifth on the team in scoring with 40 points. Without Sakic, the Avalanche needed someone to step up and Paul Stastny was that guy. Stastny finished the season appearing in 66 games and finished as the team’s leading scorer with 24 goals, 47 assists, good for 71 points.

Milan Hejduk's production dipped after a 70 point season in 2006-07, and hasn’t been able to regain his touch from the 2002-03 season when he recorded 98 points. Peter Forsberg was also suppose to step in a play a key role in the offense in the final month and a half, but was limited to nine games because of a groin injury. Ryan Smyth was expected to be a factor in scoring, but being participated in only 55 games because of injuries; he recorded a mere 37 points. Wojtek Wolski had another strong season with 48 points in 77 games.

If Sakic and Smyth had been healthy all season and Forsberg not be plagued by injuries upon his return, just how good could this offense have been? It’s safe to assume that they quite possibly would have won the division. Unfortunately what’s done is done, and there’s nothing that can change it. Had they drawn the number three spot in the Western Conference, they might still be alive in the playoffs as they wouldn’t have faced the Red Wings in the second round.

The Avalanche already had a strong defense heading into the final two months of the season, but they got even stronger when they acquired Ruslan Salei from Florida for Karlis Skrastins; Colorado’s defensemen combined for 125 points. The defense, like the offense, did struggle though injuries for most of the season as Scott Hannan was the only player to play in all 82 games; John-Michael Liles played in 81 games.

For the most part, Colorado was a consistent team this season. They never experienced long losing streaks, but they also had only one real winning streak when they won six straight games from February 26 through March 8. Otherwise, Colorado would win a few then lose one or two before winning a few more. They had two separate occasions when they played four straight games without getting a point; unfortunately one of those came in the last month of the season and that hurt their chances at the division title.

The Avalanche will have many questions heading into the off-season. Will Joe Sakic return? Will Peter Forsberg return? Will Adam Foote return? Those are just a few questions that Avalanche fans will be asking in the coming months. All three of those players were marred by injuries this season, and it’s already been speculated that Sakic is headed for retirement, while Forsberg is considering it.

If one or two or all three of those players don’t return, then the Avalanche might once again be in rebuilding mode. Colorado will need to do some work in free agency to replace them, but players such as T.J. Hensick and Tyler Arnason stepped up in the playoffs; even though, Hensick played only two games.

The Avalanche has several players headed for unrestricted free agency: Sakic, Forsberg, Theodore, Foote, Andrew Brunette, and Liles. How many of them will return? Or will they all bolt for more money if it’s offered? And who does the Avalanche want back? It’s going to be an interesting summer in the Mile High city.