"The Avalanche on Thursday lessened the chances of Milan Hejduk's pending unrestricted free agency becoming a major topic this season when it announced the signing of the Czech right wing to a one-year extension.

Hejduk will make $3.9 million this season, but accepted a cut to $3 million in 2010-11, while retaining his no-trade clause. If Hejduk, 33, hadn't been locked up, there might have been considerable speculation about his availability as the season progressed.

"I didn't want to deal with this thing during the season," Hejduk said Thursday after he didn't suit up for the Avalanche's 3-2 exhibition loss to Dallas. "I don't like that stuff. It's better that you can concentrate on hockey. I knew I wanted to stay in Colorado. I didn't want to go anywhere else. My family and I are happy, so it's a no-brainer."

In the wake of Colorado's unloading of Ryan Smyth and the remaining three years of his contract to Los Angeles in the offseason, the Hejduk extension also represented a sign the Avalanche won't yet completely slash and burn.

"If you look at what we're building here, in terms of the number of kids, youth that we have, to have a 33-year-old along with that young group is just as important as bringing along these young kids," Avalanche general manager Greg Sherman said."