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Reports indicate Peter Forsberg wants to play for MoDo again; What about another NHL run?

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Like some reverse Groundhog Day, no hockey summer seems complete without at least a little bit of speculation on fragile forward Peter Forsberg. Consider his often-injured groin muscle/wonky foot to be his answer to a groundhog’s shadow; when you read about his relative health you know we’re in the thick of the slow season for hockey news.

While there isn’t a trace of NHL relevance mentioned in this Tweet, Kevin Allen of USA Today probably made at least a few super-optimistic hockey fans salivate with the thought of another Foppa sighting.

Peter Forsberg is practicing with MoDo and is telling Swedish press he feels good and wants to play again.

Chances are he’ll only play in Europe, but if you’re a hardcore hockey fan you probably know the drill already. Some teams - especially former comfort zones such as Philadelphia and Colorado - will be linked to the sublimely-skilled-but-injury-prone Swede at some point this season. Perhaps it will be over the summer, but typically that happens later in the year when he can sign a smaller deal or around the trade deadline when teams would rather not give up a piece for a gamble. Chances are, some fantasy hockey leagues will see a late round Forsberg pick, too.

It’s easy to make fun of the process, but why not dream a little bit? It might be harder for a young (and now up and coming) team like the Colorado Avalanche to take another risk on him, but what about a cash-strapped contender? What if the Detroit Red Wings decided to employ a different former nemesis/opposing icon and match Forsberg up with fellow often-hurt-yet-super-talented Swedes Johan Franzen and Henrik Zetterberg? They could be the Broken Bull in a China Shop Line or something.

Anyway, I wouldn’t expect Forsberg to play another NHL game, but you never know. As frustrating as his injury problems can be, he still can be an impressively productive player during the rare occasions that he suits up.

Sure, he hasn’t played in the NHL since the 2007-08 season - and only for a brief time then - but he did amass 14 points in just nine games. He scored 30 points (11 goals, 19 assists) in 23 points for MODO last season, too. While that doesn’t always translate to the “biggest” league, it shows that he’s a point per game player through and through.

Of course, the catch is that he’s great at the “point per” part and not so strong in the “actually playing games” category. I’d be a liar if I denied an interest in seeing him appear in the NHL one last time, though. Don’t bet your house on a return, but feel free to dream of Forsberg feeding your favorite players this summer. That’s what unrealistic off-season visions are all about, anyway, right?