The Peter Forsberg Sweepstakes?

Will he come back?

I think the answer is a firm, "I dunno."

Reports from camp Forsberg indicate that he wants to return to the NHL, but given his previous setbacks, who really knows what's going to happen.

Here's what we know for sure: he turned out an offer from his Swedish Elite League team MoDo to play the season because he wants to keep his NHL options open.

Forsberg attempted a bit of a comeback last fall when he began practising with MoDo in preparation for a tournament. However, it was apparent that his ankles were not ready to play, so he had additional surgical procedures in December. After resting for over a month, he has only recently begun skating and all looks to be good - 'looks' being the operative word.

I'm not saying that Forsberg will return to the NHL. He has had many setbacks in the past, and he has only been skating for about a week. That being said, Forsberg has told his agent to begin discussions with NHL teams for a possible return to North America, and I'm sure that half the League is salivating at the thought of acquiring Forsberg.

Signing Forsberg would be a great move for many teams, and I wouldn't necessarily oppose the idea of Shero going after him. First of all, the Pens would not have to give up anything to get Forsberg. Second, I don't think that signing him would be super-expensive, salary-wise or years-wise. I could be wrong on this, but I think that Forsberg may take a smaller contract to get himself back into the NHL and prove that his past injuries are just that - in the past.

There are certainly risks to signing Forsberg. We don't know how his ankles will hold up in the NHL. He could get back into the game and experience the same problems as before.

But if Forsberg is ready to come back and play, the Penguins may want to pursue him. Sure, it would be a risk, but if the price is right, then it may be a good move given the recent injuries in Pittsburgh.

Something interesting to think about...