November 10, 2008 2:27 PM

Sheriff terminated; Sakic undergoing tests

Avalanche captain Joe Sakic didn't practice today because of a sore back and is undergoing tests to determine how serious the problem is. He played the first period Saturday against Nashville after missing Thursday's game with Minnesota. Hoping to get some sort of results later today.

Meanwhile, forward Scott Parker's contract with the Avalanche has been terminated by the team. The "Sheriff" was assigned to the Lake Erie Monsters in the American Hockey League on Oct. 17 after being activated from the injured list -- he had a concussion -- but he never reported.

Parker was on a two-way contract. He would have been paid $500,000 for playing in the NHL and $100,000 in the minors.

The Avalanche said he has become an unrestricted free agent. I've been trying to get in contact with his agent and with the NHL Players Association to get their take on the situation.

Also, the Avalanche has sent defenseman Kyle Cumiskey back to Lake Erie.

Posted by Rick Sadowski at 2:27 PM | Comments (2)