 In the 1996 – 97 season , Sakic only played in 65 games due to a lacerated calf , yet still managed to score 74 points as the Avalanche earned their first Presidents ' Trophy and third straight division title . He had another great playoff season with eight goals and 17 assists , and took the Avalanche all the way to the conference finals , where they eventually lost to the Detroit Red Wings in six games . As a free agent during the summer of 1997 , Sakic signed a three @-@ year , $ 21 million offer sheet with the New York Rangers as a restricted free agent . Under the collective bargaining agreement at the time , the Avalanche had one week to match the Rangers ' offer or let go of Sakic . Colorado would match the offer , which instigated a salary raise for many NHL players . 
