Forsberg signs with Avalanche

Peter Forsberg has deemed himself fit enough to sign with the Colorado Avalanche.

The NHL club officially announced a deal for the remainder of this season on Sunday afternoon, not long after a Denver Post report indicated that Forsberg will accompany the team to Phoenix on Monday, but will not play in that game.

"After testing my abilities with NHL players over the last few weeks, I feel confident that I can play at the NHL level and help this team," Forsberg said in a statement. "I wanted to see where I was at physically and I am ready for this new challenge."

The 37-year-old began practising with the club in late January, the latest in a series of comeback attempts.

Forsberg won two Stanley Cups with Colorado and won the Hart Memorial Trophy in 2003. He has 249 goals and 636 assists in 706 regular season games, the vast majority with the franchise.

"[Peter] will provide additional leadership to our club and he will have an impact with this young team," Avalanche general manager/executive vice president Greg Sherman said in a statement.

Forsberg has endured foot, heel and shin injuries in recent years, playing the equivalent of less than two seasons since that MVP performance in 2003.

He last played in the NHL late in the 2007-08 season and in the playoffs with the Avalanche. He recorded two goals and 17 assists in 16 total games.

The forward played for Modo in the Swedish Elite League last season and represented his country at the Vancouver Games, carrying the flag in the opening ceremony and competing in his fourth Olympic tournament. Sweden won gold in two of those tournaments (1994, 2006).

Colorado has dropped five of its last six to fall to 12th place in the Western Conference, but they are only four points back of the last playoff spot.

The Avalanche statement did not reveal how much Forsberg would earn for the remainder of the regular season or when he might be ready to play.