The Philadelphia Flyers nearly had an unexpected boost prior to their lengthy playoff run as Peter Forsberg told Swedish newspaper Expressen that he had been offered a contract to join the team on March 2nd.
Forsberg told Expressen that Flyers' general manager Paul Holmgren approached him about joining the Flyers for the remainder of the regular season when both Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne were struggling with injuries. Forsberg stated that only his own injuries prevented him from joining Philly.
"Yeah, it's true," Forsberg told Expressen. "But I felt that I wasn't in good enough shape to go."
The 36-year old Forsberg has not played in the NHL since a nine-game stint with the Colorado Avalanche in the 2007-08 season. He has battled injury concerns throughout his illustrious career, and a recurring foot injury limited him to just 23 games this past year with MODO of the Swedish Elite League.
He was healthy enough to skate for his country at the Olympics, however he was largely ineffective, managing a solitary assist in four games as Sweden bowed out early. He helped lead the 'Tre Kronor' to Olympic gold in 1994 and again in 2006.
The 2003 Hart Trophy winner who captured a pair of Stanley Cup rings with the Avalanche said that he would have loved the opportunity to rejoin the Flyers, a team he last played for in the 2006-07 season.
"Obviously it would've been cool since I know so many of those guys from my time with the team," Forsberg told Expressen.
While he has not completely ruled out a return to the NHL, he is not ready to discuss his future just yet.
"It's way too early to start speculating about teams when I still don't even know if I can come back and play hockey again," Forsberg told Expressen.
